By BERNAMA

THE Peaceful Assembly (Amendment) Bill 2019 which, among other things, seeks to do away with the offence related to street protests, was tabled for first reading at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

According to the bill tabled by Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman, the amendments would involve Sections 3, 4 and 21 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

This follows a change in government policy to uphold the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, including the right to organise or participate in a street protest as long as it does not jeopardise security and public order.

The bill said that if a street protest results in disturbance, violence or criminal activities, it could be tackled under existing laws like the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code.

The bill also seeks to amend Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act to shorten the notification period for holding an assembly from 10 days to seven days before the date of the gathering.

Apart from this bill, the Youth Societies and Youth Development (Amendment) Bill 2019 and the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2019 were also tabled for first reading by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen respectively.

The Youth Societies and Youth Development (Amendment) Bill 2019 seeks to, among other things, lower the maximum age limit in the definition of youth to 30 years old, and to provide for the minimum and maximum age limits of the head and office-bearers of a youth society.

The Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2019 aims to, among other things, increase the punishments which may be imposed on any person who fails to comply with an award made by the Tribunal. — Bernama