September 16 gathering to go on as planned - Jamal

The Padang Merbok assembly scheduled on September 16 would continue despite no green light given by authorities.

The Confederation of NGOs of Malaysia chairman Datuk Jamal Md Yunus said there was no reason for anyone to thwart the rally and it would be carried out by any means.

"We together with other 250 Malay NGO groups just want to hold a peaceful assembly as enshrined in the Constitution under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 and it is not intended to disrupt public order.

"Why aren’t the Malays allowed to assemble? And why when it comes to oppositionit is matter what?" he asked during a press conference after a meeting with the representatives of Malay NGOs, Thursday.

Jamal also said that the Persekutuan Seni Silat Kebangsaan (Pesaka) will be the Padang Merbok gathering.

The gathering is scheduled to begin at 3pm where participants will gather at some 'check points' including around Bukit Bintang before they begin walking to the rally site.

Jamal said it is not true that the gathering would be cancelled. Some 300,000 participation people are expected to participate in the gathering.

He stressed that the peaceful assembly would continue despite not having police .

On Wednesday, UMNO president Datuk Seri Najib Razak asserted that UMNO is not involved in any way with the rally and did not sponsor the September 16 rally.

He said, however, there are several party leaders who are part of the NGO who have expressed their willingness to join the rally.

In the meantime, when asked about the motive of holding the rally at Padang Merbok and on September 16, Jamal said,

"September 16 is Malaysia Day, what's the harm in gathering? We're determined to wear red shirt on that day and gather at Bukit Bintang and Jalan Petaling before heading to the designated area. Regardless of what the police does, it is up to them.

"The have applied for a permit from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) but has yet to get a response. It is not a gathering to riot, traders can carry out businesses as usual."

Earlier, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar informed there will be a meeting with the rally .

Khalid stressed that his department will not allow the rally to proceed and would direct the Kuala Lumpur police chief to meet the organizers to prevent them from carrying out the rally.