PUTRAJAYA — The Home Ministry will prepare a cabinet memorandum following the government’s decision to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (Act 736), said its minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Awang Alik Jeman will assist in preparing the memorandum and the matter would be followed up with an engagement session with stakeholders, Bernama reported him saying.
“Once the Cabinet has agreed, we will engage with all stakeholders including peaceful assembly activists, Members of Parliament, then we will work out the amended metrics and we will table it in Parliament,” Saifuddin told reporters after officiating the National Registration Innovation Award 2024, here today.
In the Dewan Rakyat earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government has agreed to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act to facilitate gatherings.
He said the amendments scheduled for the next Parliament session, among others, would remove Section 11 of the Act, which involves the requirement for the consent of the owners or owners of assembly locations.
However, Anwar said organisers should inform the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) within five days before the rally is held to enable the authorities to maintain security, control and traffic.
Pending the amendments, Anwar also said there would be a moratorium on the Act’s existing requirements.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin Nasution said the government never intended to repress or restrict any public gathering.
The government has allowed most of the notices for peaceful assemblies, with 98% out of 10,000 gatherings notified to the police in 2023 taking place.
“In 2024, more than 7,000 notifications were received and 99% were allowed. Only one or one percent of the gatherings faced issues because of the location which did not have the permission of the premises owner, not because of the government’s restrictive actions,” he said. – February 13, 2025