One anti-GST activist lost his job while others had to take leave from their workplace to appear in court to face charges over a protest they took part in.

Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar, who is one of the 79 charged with illegal assembly at the Customs Department headquarters in Kelana Jaya on March 25, revealed this today and said charging them is a form of harassment by the government.

“It was a peaceful protest where we demanded answers on the implementation of GST. However, now we are subjected to attend court for this case.

"I know there is a driver who was also charged with us and had lost his job because his employer could not stand him taking leave to attend the court proceedings,” he said.

Jeyakumar ( photo ) was met while he was waiting with others for the case to be mentioned at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court today.

This is the third time the case is being mentioned following their charge in March.

The court has fixed Aug 13 for another mention date as about 12 of those charged are  unaccounted for. Their warrants of arrest were extended.

Merely seeking answers on GST

Jeyakumar said it is alright for him as a lawmaker and a doctor, but it is tough for those who have their employers to deal with and it is affecting their livelihood.

“The offence is such a minor thing. They are pressuring or taking punitive actions on people who are merely seeking answers on GST.

“They are trying to stop people from protesting but in turn the people are fed up with them (government),” he said.

When asked whether the prosecution should drop the charge, Jeyakumar said it would be the smartest thing to do.

“We were merely sitting there waiting for them (Customs Department) to give answers. This is a peaceful thing and those are valid questions being asked,” he said.

Jeyakumar said the GST is the wrong tax as experience of the developed countries has shown that the rich are getting richer over the years despite the implementation.

He added that GST affects the bottom 40 percent of the population who have lower incomes.

“This is opposite to what it is intended in those who have larger share of the economy will have to pay more. Hence, the GST is totally a wrong tax as we should get the corporate and rich people to pay more,” said the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leader.

Bigger courtroom needed

Lawyer M Visvanathan, who is one the lawyers representing the 79 accused, sai the prosecution had handed over to them copies of closed circuit television (CCTV) and video recordings of the protest.

“The prosecution also handed over the cautioned statements of some of the accused persons. There are some other documents which are to be handed over and this would probably be done at the next date,” he said.

Visvanathan added the lawyers have asked for the matter to be heard in a bigger courtroom as some elderly people were also being charged.

To this, he said the court will look into the matter.

Besides Visvanathan, the other lawyers representing the accused are Roger Tan and Zulhazmi Sharif, while DPP S Ravindaran led the prosecution.