Malaysian Bar protest: No marching to Parliament, say police

KUALA LUMPUR: The police are not allowing the Malaysian Bar to hold a procession from Padang Merbok to the Parliament building on the grounds of safety of those gathering as well as motorists.

Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Noor Dellhan Yahaya said after taking every aspect into consideration, police agreed to allow them to hold a gathering at Padang Merbok.

"The planned march to the Parliament building however poses a serious risk to the safety of those taking part and motorists," he said when contacted on Thursday (June 16).

He advised the organisers to heed the advice of the police and refrain from carrying on with their planned march.

"Our main concern is the safety of everyone, which is why we decided to not allow the march. They are allowed to gather at Padang Merbok and police will also be there to ensure the safety of all," he said.

It was reported that the proposed peaceful march by lawyers on Friday to Parliament to uphold judicial independence hit a roadblock after being denied permission to march by the police.

Malaysian Bar chairman Karen Cheah Yee Lynn said that while police had agreed to help facilitate the gathering at Padang Merbok near Parliament, lawyers would not be allowed to proceed with the Walk For Judicial Independence.

The lawyers had intended to walk from Padang Merbok car park to Parliament, a short distance of less than a kilometre for the gathering.

"The Bar Council acknowledges the assistance of the police in helping to facilitate the gathering at Padang Merbok, but we do not agree that we are unable to proceed with the walk to Parliament and we shall be writing to and continue engaging the police in this regard,” she said in a statement Thursday.

On May 27, the Malaysian Bar voted to hold a peaceful protest to uphold judicial independence and to also condemn a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation against Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.

The decision to hold the peaceful protest comes after an overwhelming majority of the lawyers agreed to the gathering and walk during the Bar's recent Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).

The MACC investigations followed claims by blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin that there were funds transferred to Mohd Nazlan's account during his time as the group general counsel and company secretary of Maybank.