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I hv contacted the Minister's office and spoken to his officers on our stand. I believe anyone can hv the right to hand over a memo and even go to parlimen( must go through the usual process of registration..etc). There is no need for heavy-handed action on any peaceful action.
— Kelvin yii (@Kelvinyii88) September 12, 2023

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I am not 100 pc sure what happened outside of Parliament today, but as a matter of principle people should be allowed to march to Parliament to handover a memorandum.

What happened to PSM/Lawan Lapar today (based on social media) looks heavy handed and unnecessary.
— Syahredzan Johan (@syahredzan) September 12, 2023

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Nak bagi memorandum ke Parlimen pun tak boleh ke? pic.twitter.com/2AMKvFlVTG
— Gandipan, PSM (@iamgandipan) September 12, 2023

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About 50 police officers on standby for our memorandum handover.

Why need to be so heavy handed? #LawanLapar pic.twitter.com/034I1M9n6X
— Tharma Pillai šŸ—³ļø (@TharmaPillai) September 12, 2023

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MPs slam police for ā€˜heavy-handed treatmentā€™ of Lawan Lapar group outside Parliament | Scoop
Among the individuals seen being stopped by police on the way to handing a memorandum to Parliament was PSM deputy chairman S. Arutchelvan. ā€“ Social media screengrab, September 12, 2023
News

MPs slam police for ā€˜heavy-handed treatmentā€™ of Lawan Lapar group outside Parliament

The activists attempted to submit a memorandum on farmersā€™ rights and land deals to Parliament, but were halted by police

Scoop Reporters
Updated
3:35 PM MYT

Ā 

KUALA LUMPUR ā€“ Government lawmakers have decried police officers blocking politicians and activists from entering Parliament today to submit a memorandum on farmersā€™ rights and land deals. 

Taking to Twitter, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said there is no need for police to be ā€œheavy handedā€ towards the ā€œpeaceful protestersā€, who are part of the Lawan Lapar movement, a campaign headed by youth organisation Undi18 and media outlet The Fourth. 

ā€œ(Peaceful protests) are part of democracy and we must learn to facilitate it, as long as it follows all necessary procedures and remains peaceful. 

ā€œWhether or not I disagree with your cause or point of view, we will defend your right to express it in a democratic and peaceful way,ā€ Yii said in a series of tweets. 

Yii, who is also DAP Youth chief, added that he has raised the issue with ā€œthe ministerā€™s officeā€. 

While it is unclear which minister Yii is referring to, the memorandum was reportedly addressed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 

Meanwhile, Yiiā€™s fellow party member Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan said the governmentā€™s approach to public assemblies must change, adding that the group should have been allowed to march up to Parliamentā€™s gate. 

ā€œIā€™m not 100% sure what happened outside of Parliament today, but as a matter of principle, people should be allowed to march to Parliament to hand over a memorandum. 

ā€œWhat happened to PSM (Parti Sosialis Malaysia) and Lawan Lapar today, based on social media, looks heavy handed and unnecessary,ā€ Syahredzan said on Twitter. 

According to videos posted on the social media platform by PSM Youth secretary Gandipan Nantha Gopalan, those gathered were barred from approaching Parliament as they were halted by the side of the road leading up to the government building.  

Police had also formed a human wall to prevent the gathering from moving closer to Parliament. 

Among the individuals who had shown up for the handover were Undi18 co-founder Tharma Pillai and PSM deputy chairman S. Arutchelvan, with the latter seen confronting police and questioning why the group was being blocked from handing over the memorandum. 

In a statement on the matter, PSM criticised the ā€œintimidation tacticsā€ employed by police, stressing that the party was merely representing 250 farmers to submit the memorandum on food security and land issues. 

ā€œArticle 10 of the Federal Constitution allows for the freedom of speech and expression; to assemble; and to form associations. But, when we wanted to hand over the memorandum, police did not allow us to gather at Parliament and ordered for the memorandum to be submitted at Taman Tugu. 

ā€œWhen we questioned them (police), they said that they were acting based on Parliamentā€™s instructions. We did not gather in a restricted area. This is disappointing,ā€ the statement added. 

Meanwhile, Tharma said about 50 police officers were on standby in the vicinity of Parliament for the handover. 

ā€œWe have sent many memorandums to Parliament before. This is the first time the police was determined to keep us at the Taman Tugu parking lot and not allow us to move to Parliament. 

ā€œThere is nothing illegal about walking to Parliament,ā€ he tweeted. ā€“ September 12, 2023

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