KUALA LUMPUR – Investigations into recent protests, including demonstrations by university students and hunger strikes by those linked to Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) detainees, have been halted following the government’s decision to amend the law on public assemblies.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that the government has agreed to amend the law to ease the process of holding peaceful gatherings.
“This means the requirement to obtain permission from the venue owner, as stated in certain provisions, will be removed,” he said.
Anwar said this in the Dewan Rakyat today while responding to a question from Khoo Poay Tiong (Kota Melaka-PH), who asked whether the government was prepared to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 to allow citizens to gather without prior approval from the authorities.
He cited the 13 university students called in by the police after participating in an anti-corruption rally at Dataran Merdeka recently and family members of Sosma detainees being investigated for holding a hunger strike.
Moving forward, organisers will only need to notify the police five days in advance to allow authorities to manage security, crowd control, and traffic.
Anwar also stressed that while public assemblies will now be more accessible, any gathering involving weapons or posing a security threat will still face legal consequences.
“If there are weapons involved, of course, the law will still apply,” he added.
He further announced that a moratorium has already been placed on the existing requirements.
“This means the police will not enforce the law as long as organisers provide five days’ notice,” he said.
Providing historical context, Anwar highlighted that even before the amendments, the vast majority of assembly applications were approved.
“In 2012, when I was in the opposition, there were 2,874 applications, with 2,827 approved. The ones that were rejected were because I was involved,” he said.
He noted that in 2021, 1,639 applications were submitted, with 1,606 approved (97.99%). The approval rate remained high in subsequent years, with 12,556 applications in 2022, of which 12,123 were approved (98.9%), and in 2024, 98.78% of 5,151 applications were granted.
The proposed amendments are expected to be tabled in the next parliamentary session.
Will government repeal Sosma?
Khoo also asked whether the government would commit towards reviewing or repealing the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, pointing out that there are Sosma detainees who have not been tried in court.
In response, Anwar stressed that stringent laws are necessary to address the threat of terrorism in the country, which should not be taken lightly.
“We have (incidents where) police personnel have been killed and the suspect admitted to it being their ‘responsibility’ (to do so)…we need stringent laws to address such cases. There are no countries without such laws.
“However, I do agree with Kota Melaka (Khoo) that the law needs to be clear to avoid risks of abuse just like what we have seen with the (repealed) Internal Security Act 1948,” added Anwar.
The prime minister also said that while the government upholds democracy and freedom, it needs to acknowledge the presence of “elements that could lead to violence and terrorism”.
The long-controversial law has gained attention recently, after police were reportedly probing a gathering held by family members of Sosma detainees at Sg Buloh prison last weekend, which called for the law to be repealed.
Calls for repeal were also echoed by five former PH MPs – Ong Kian Ming, Khalid Samad, Kasthuri Patto, Noor Amin Ahmad and Maria Chin Abdullah – who said in a joint statement that the government should conduct a review of Sosma to assess whether it was still necessary. – February 13, 2025