NOVEMBER 22 — The G25 wishes to express its deepest concern regarding the arrest of Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah on 18 November 2016 on the eve of the Bersih 5 public rally and her detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA).
SOSMA was enacted to deal with terrorism and security offences for the purpose of maintaining public order and security. This legislation was never intended nor meant to nullify parliamentary democracy or suppress political freedom. Indeed, section 4(3) of SOSMA clearly provides –
(3) No person shall be arrested and detained under this section solely for his political belief or political activity.
The public demands to know what terrorist activity has been undertaken by Maria Chin Abdullah to warrant her detention under SOSMA. Maria and her colleagues in Bersih 2.0 were responsible for organising the Bersih 5 public rally that was held on Saturday 19 November peacefully and without any untoward incident. The organising committee of Bersih 5 took great pains to ensure that those participating in the rally would not break the law or be a public nuisance and to avoid any confrontation with the Red Shirts group lead by Datuk Seri Jamal Yunos, who had threatened violence against Bersih 5 supporters. Read more
