Cops: Education protest at Taman Jaya unlawful

The planned PGIP4114 (Parents Gathering in Protest) protest this Saturday at the Taman Jaya Park is ‘unlawful’ as the police said that they have not received any notification on the gathering.

According to Petaling Jaya district police chief ACP Arjunaidi Mohamed, he has heard nothing from the organisers, namely ASPIRES (Association of Parents and Individuals Towards Revising the Education System) over the event.

This contradicted an earlier statement by ASPIRES founder and coordinator Shamsudin Hamid, who said that police have already been informed and they have been given the greenlight some time ago.

"No. I have heard nothing. No notice from them. The Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 requires a notification 10 days before a gathering," Arjunaidi told Astro AWANI.

Arjunaidi said that it was "impossible" that the police have been notified without his knowledge as "I am the only person who can sign such a document."

"Therefore, it is an assembly that goes against the law," he said.

Meanwhile, Shamsudin insisted that the police have received their notice and claimed that they are not breaking the law.

Asked for a proof of the notice, ASPIRES e-mailed Astro AWANI a copy of the notice, showing a stamp of receipt on Dec 19:

On Saturday, a group of parents and their supporters plan to hold a gathering to urge the government to reform the education system, specifically on two main agendas:

• To re-introduce the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English(PPSMI), which was abolished in 2009 and replaced with the MBMMBI( upholding the Malay language and strengthening English) policy.

• To at least make available the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), currently only offered to Mara junior science colleges (MRSM), in national schools.