Malaysia had ended its investigations into protest groups and would remove the requirement for demonstrators to seek permission before a rally, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday, in a pivot allowing greater room for public dissent by a leader who made his name as a student protester.
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Anwar, who previously led many high-profile street protests on the opposition camp for a quarter of a century, has come under fire for edging away from his long-held positions on free speech and right of protest and instead using arcane laws to stifle dissenting voices, while steering a slide into conservatism on issues ranging from sexual rights to religious freedom.
Last month, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution said a student-led anti-corruption protest needed permission from a mall owner and the Kuala Lumpur city hall, arguing that the venues were not public spaces. But his comments only galvanised protesters to push ahead with their plans in defiance.
With growing public scrutiny on Anwar’s commitment to reform – an agenda he championed while he was with the opposition – he announced on Thursday that the government had suspended the requirement for approval from venue owners or authorities before planned protests in line with proposed regulatory amendments.
“The government has agreed to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 to facilitate and assist bodies or groups that wish to hold peaceful assemblies,” the prime minister told parliament.
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“This means the requirement to get venue permission will be amended and discarded.”
