Police: No green-light for Padang Merbok

There is charity run event being held on the same day at the said venue, says Dang Wangi district police chief Zainuddin Ahmad.


PETALING JAYA:The police have told Pakatan Rakyat to change its date on the planned Black 505 rally at Padang Merbok, saying there is another event scheduled on June 15 there.
“The Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (PPSPPA) is holding a charity run at Padang Merbok on June 15.
“The organiser for the charity run has already obtained an approval from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to hold the event earlier,” said Dang Wangi district police chief Zainuddin Ahmad.
Yesterday, PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli announced that the next Black 505 rally would be held at Padang Merbok on Saturday.
They had sent a formal notice to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters, as per the requirement under the Peaceful Assembly Act.
Zainuddin said that the organiser of the Black 505 rally had also made a mistake in their application by not getting the approval of the premise owner before submitting the notification.
“Under Section 10 (c) of the PAA, the organiser must get the approval from the premise owner first before submitting notification to the police.

“But the rally organiser failed to attach the consent letter from DBKL in the notice,” he said.
Zainuddin added that he had informed one of the rally organisers, Mohamad Adib Isa, who came to hand in the notice, about the matter for further deliberation.
“And I was informed that the Black 505 rally organisers were not aware that Padang Merbok was already booked for another event before holding the press conference yesterday,” he said.
In an immediate response, Rafizi criticised the police for creating a “Catch-22” situation for the rally organisers.
“This is a standard response from the police.The owner of the venue will say that the police must be notified first whereas the police would say the owner needs to be notified first. It frustrates the whole process,” he said.
Rafizi also said that the police should understand the spirit of a peaceful assembly and allow the rally to take place.
“The PAA clearly states that the police must only be notified for traffic and public safety purposes. Their permission is not needed,” he said.
When told of the charity run scheduled on the same day, Rafizi said that he would discuss the matter with DBKL today.
“We will consult the city hall and other parties. I hope we can maintain Padang Merbok as our venue. Final decision will be made tomorrow or Monday,” he said.