New Year's Eve rally still on despite leader's arrest

Gerakan Turun Kos Sara Hidup (TURUN) is going ahead with its New Year’s Eve gathering at Dataran Merdeka despite the arrest of their leader Mohd Azan Safar.

“We are still going ahead with the gathering. We are not linked to any effort to topple the government, that’s a baseless accusation,” said a TURUN crew who refused to be named.

TURUN, he said, is not committing any offence and the reason for the rally is to urge the government to do something on the rising cost of living.

“We want the government to delay the Goods and Service Tax (GST); to end corruption; to break the monopolies such as sugar; to review toll concessions and restructure the subsidy system,” he said.

“It is also untrue that we are going against parliamentary democracy. We believe what we are doing is democratic. It is not anarchy, that, would spoil the system."

While he claimed that TURUN is in the process of notifying the police, as required under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012; Dang Wangi district police chief Zainuddin Ahmad, when contacted, disputed that.

“The group has not given us anything in writing and that itself is already an offence," said Zainuddin.

"If they say they insist on going ahead, we will take the necessary actions and charge them in court, “ he told Astro AWANI.

Zainuddin said that the police are taking this matter seriously and urged the public to be extra careful on December 31.

“We can’t tell the public to not go out because there would be many people celebrating the new year there. But please don’t get involved with the group,” he said.

On Monday, Mohd Azan, 24, a student activist who is also TURUN chairman, was arrested at 11.30pm while he was having supper.

Police said that they are holding him under Section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act which involves informing the police about gatherings; as well as Section 124C of the Penal Code for attempting to commit activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

He is being linked to a supposed gathering that talks about ‘toppling the government’ in front of Kelab Sultan Sulaiman.

This morning, a magistrate rejected the police’s request for a remand to detain Mohd Azan for another week.

He is expected to be released tonight.