Drop charges against EO6, says PSM
The government should drop its charges against the six PSM leaders previously detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) and 24 other party members who were arrested in relation to the Bersih 2.0 rally, in view that all emergency declarations will be lifted, said PSM.
The government should drop its charges against the six PSM leaders previously detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) and 24 other party members who were arrested in relation to the Bersih 2.0 rally, in view that all emergency declarations will be lifted, said PSM.
Party secretary-general S Arulchelvan (left) said it “only makes sense” for the charges to be dropped since the removal of the three remaining emergency declarations would also mean the abolition of the EO.
He said PSM’s lawyers had written in to the attorney-general last week requesting that the charges against the 30 party members be dropped, pointing out that they will not stop until the members of the group are cleared of the charges.
“If we don’t get a response to our letter, then PSM and civil society groups will send in a memorandum to the attorney-general asking him to drop the charges,” he said when contacted today.
Six PSM leaders were charged at the Butterworth Sessions court last Aug 3 under two separate laws - the Societies Act and the Internal Security Act - for allegedly possessing subversive documents.
Prior to the charge, the six were detained for 28 days under the EO for undefined reasons during a controversial police crackdown on civil rights groups and opposition parties in the run up to the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally.
The six included Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj and PSM activists Choo Chon Kai, Sarat Babu, M Sarasvathy, M Sukumaran, and A Letchumanan, who were otherwise known as the EO6.
PSM may sue government
The same charges were slapped against 24 other activists who were detained in Sungai Dua, Penang while they were on the PSM-organised ‘Udahlah Bersara’ roadshow on June 25.
All 30 activists were initially detained on suspicion of planning to wage war against the Agong. Their hearing is scheduled to take place this coming Oct 10-14.
Arulchelvan said PSM is also mulling the possibility of suing the government for allegedly abusing the EO, pending a thorough look at the policy announcements made by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak last night.
While PSM applauded the reforms announced by Najib, he stressed that they must be done “immediately with strict dateline”.
The party also urged the government to revoke all eviction orders under the EO, especially in the case of some 220 Ladang Bukit Jalil former estate workers who are facing the impending loss of their homes to a development project.
“The government should drop the eviction order because it was initiated under the EO. With the lifting of the (emergency) declarations, all matters using this law must be reviewed,” he said.
