PUTRAJAYA: Perikatan Nasional should respect the spirit of Malaysia Day and opt to hold its planned rally on another day, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
"The organisers could have held it on any other date but unfortunately chose Sept 16 to do so.
"This is a day that people see as a day of celebration.
"It is a significant day, the formation of Malaysia and it is in the spirit of mutual respect, tolerance as well as respect of the rule of law," he told reporters after launching the World Anti-Trafficking of People Day observation here Thursday (Sept 14).
Saifuddin said that choosing to hold the rally on Malaysia Day showed that the organisers did not respect the spirit of tolerance and unity, especially for those in Sabah and Sarawak for whom the date was significant.
"I myself am a product of street demonstrations and in my 30 years in politics, I gained much experience from street demonstrations," he said, adding that at that time, Section 27 of the Police Act was in force.
He said now the Peaceful Assembly Act was in force and there were three main components outlined, the responsibility of organisers, participants and security forces.
"There are do's and don'ts also stipulated in the Act, including that such gatherings cannot be held near places of worship, petrol stations, and electricity substations.
"The police have already made their reaction clear on the do's and don'ts. We go by the law," he said.
It was reported that the Save Malaysia Rally would still proceed on Saturday despite three Perikatan Nasional leaders being called up by the police.
Badrul Hisham Shaharin, better known as Chegubard, said despite the "intimidation" shown by the authorities, including calling up Perikatan leaders, details of the event were being worked on.
He called on all Malaysians to take part in the rally in conjunction with Malaysia Day, which fell on Saturday.
