Cops tell DAP: Can eat, but cannot talk - Malaysiakini

S Pathmawathy | Jun 19, 09 6:29pm

Police reminded the Perak DAP that their 43rd annual celebration is a dinner gathering and not a ceramah.

Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham said yesterday that cops issued a permit for the party to hold its annual dinner on June 27, and only one speaker, party treasurer Leong Mee Meng, is allowed to speak.

V Sivakumar"We are allowed to eat but not allowed to talk," said Ngeh.

Six speakers are scheduled to address the gathering, including party advisor and Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang, at the Chiau Hooi Beo Temple Hall in Kuala Kangsar.

The others are Penang chief minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Tronoh state assemblyperson and ousted speaker V Sivakumar, DAP MPs Nga Kor Ming, Liew Ching Tong and Chong Eng.

Kuala Kangsar district police chief Abdul Gaffar Muhamad, said the permit was issued under Section 27(2) of the Police Act.

Therefore, the gathering is also required to abide by the sub-sections of the Act, which states that they are not allowed to utter seditious statements as provided for under Section 3(1) of the Sedition Act.

"The cops are practising double-standards... if it was a BN function, there would be no such restriction on the number of speakers," said Ngeh (right).

Ngeh reiterated that said the police to act fairly towards all.

Motion in parliament to sack IGP

Meanwhile, Ngeh, is pushing for a motion in parliament to have IGP Musa Hassan sacked for the eroding public confidence in the force and failure of the police to uphold the institution.

Ngeh's motion which is No 34 on the Order Paper, also outlines the insubordination shown by the authorities to the instructions of ousted Perak assembly speaker V Sivakumar during the emergency assembly sesssion on March 3 and during the first sitting on May 7.

Other points that listed in the motion was the arrest made on activists and MPs present at the gathering in Perak.