RUU Perhimpunan Aman Terus Dibantah Sekalipun KLCC Tegah Flashmob

Kira-kira seratus orang peserta perhimpunan flashmob hari ini berjaya menyatakan mesej mereka di Suria KLCC walau ditegah oleh pengurusan gedung membeli-belah itu.

Perhimpunan hari ini merupakan susulan kepada satu perhimpunan sama, dua minggu lalu, untuk membantah rang undang-undang kontroversi yang kini menunggu kelulusan Dewan Negara.

Selain menyanyikan lagu Krismas dan Negaraku, kumpulan berbaju kuning itu antara lainnya turut melaungkan slogan "hapuskan rang undang-undang" (kill the bill) ketika berhimpun selama kira-kira 25 minit di ruang utama di dalam kompleks berkenaan.

Kumpulan "Flashmob 1000 Malaysians Apreciate Christmas Tree' itu turut mengambil gambar dengan hiasan perayaan hari natal di ruang berkenaan.

Selain itu, peserta flashmob berkenaan turut mengumpulkan resit pembelian mereka dari premis perniagaan dalam gedung berkenaan sebagai tanda bahawa kehadiran mereka bukanlah untuk menimbulkan kekacauan.

Seorang daripada peserta berkenaan, Fahdiah Nadwa Fikri berkata perhimpunan berkenaan akan diteruskan selagi kerajaan tidak menarik balik Rang Undang-undang Perhimpunan Aman 2011 yang diluluskan Dewan Rakyat akhir bulan lalu.

Ketika ditemui, beliau yang menunjukkan sebuah buku bernilai RM55.50 yang baru dibelinya sebelum itu di satu kedai buku popular di kompleks berkenaan.

Salah seorang penganjur acara tersebut, Vienna Looi berkata mereka berbuat demikian untuk menunjukkan bahawa kegiatan itu tidak akan menjejaskan perniagaan di situ.

"Flashmob seperti ini tidak membahayakan, kita hanya datang ke sini untuk menyanyi dan lain-lain tapi mereka rasa diancam," kata pelajar undang-undang itu ketika ditemui.

Katanya lagi, langkah itu juga sebagai reaksi kepada injuksi yang dikemukakan oleh pengurusan Suria KLCC yang mahu acara berkenaan dihentikan atas alasan kegiatan berkenaan akan menyebabkan peniaga di kompleks tersebut menanggung kerugian.
Resit yang dikumpul daripada peserta berkenaan akan dimuatkan di laman Facebook kumpulan tersebut, katanya yang menambah, mereka akan menganjurkan acara sama di situ, Sabtu depan.

Selain Looi, turut menerima notis melalui Facebook itu ialah aktivis Wong Chin Huat, Hew Li Huang, Chom Lee, Jason Tan, Ducky Charis Siah dan Aduka Seri Perkasa.

Surat guaman oleh Kuala Lumpur City Park Bhd, KLCC Urusharta Sdn Bhd dan Suria KLCC Sdn Bhd itu diserahkan kepada individu berkenaan di laman tersebut melalui firma Zul Rafique & Partners, yang mewakili ketiga-tiga syarikat berkenaan. -mk

No flashmob but protest against Bill continues

Organisers of campaign against the Peaceful Assembly Bill defy threat of legal action to gather peacefully at KLCC

KUALA LUMPUR: About 100 people gathered peacefully at Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) today despite the threats of legal action from the shopping mall’s management.

The organisers of the campaign against the Peaceful Assembly Bill were forced to switch plans from holding a flashmob to shopping for yellow items instead.

The KLCC management said opponents of the Bill had on two previous occasion disrupted business operations of the tenants in KLCC and threatened legal action to stop them today.

Renamed, ‘Malaysians Can Go Shopping & Pose with X’mas Trees without Police Permit’, today’s gathering saw many in yellow outfits congregating in front of huge Christmas trees on display at the centre of the mall.

Some were also seen displaying receipts of their purchases made in the mall to show that the assembly also benefited businesses in the premises.

Sporting no banners or placards, the group snapped pictures and chanted, “Kill The Bill”, “Happy Human Rights Day” under the watchful eyes of security personnel.

The protesters also sang songs including a Christmas carol, “Jingle Bells”, “Happy Birthday” to a participant celebrating his birthday today and the national anthem “Negaraku”.

Human Rights lawyer, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri who was one of the protesters said that the gathering was to show the public what it meant to assemble peacefully.
“We are here to show our resistance to the repressive Bill. We are here to show that we can practice our rights peacefully.

“We have the right to be here…we are showing the public that this is what peaceful assembly means,” she said.

‘A leaderless movement’

The KLCC management, had on Thursday, urged the organisers to discourage 3,555 people who were invited via Facebook from gathering today.

They threatened the organisers with an injunction, seven of whom were named in the legal letter, including activist Wong Chin Huat.

Wong, however was not seen today. Vienna Looi, one of the organisers of the event, said that she was tied-up with training programme today.

Asked if she was a disappointed for not being able to join the gathering, she said that the movement need not have a ‘clear leader’.

“It is a people’s movement, a leaderless movement. We don’t want to have a ring-leader. We merely want to make this a persistent movement,” said the first-year law student.

She added the movement wanted to illustrate to the public that a peaceful assembly can take place regularly and wanted to make it a new trend in Malaysia.

Commenting on the threat of legal action, she said that she did not think the management of KLCC were behind the legal notice.

“There are other parties pushing for this,” she said without elaborating.

Today, coincidentally, is International Human Rights Day. -FMT