Freedom Of Assembly In Malaysia
Article 10 of the constitution of malaysia guarantees malaysian citizens the right to freedom of speech freedom of assembly and freedom of association unlike comparable provisions in constitutional law such as the first amendment to the united states constitution article 10 entitles citizens to such freedoms as are not restricted by the government instead of absolutely guaranteeing those.
Freedom of assembly in malaysia. Malaysia continued to make slow progress in 2019 in some areas of the governing pakatan harapan s reform agenda such as lowering the voting age. The coalition lost to an opposition alliance in the may 2018 general elections and the new government began to. It is undeniable that the citizens of malaysia have been granted the freedom of speech assembly and association as stated in the act 10 of the federal constitution. In malaysia the right to freedom of assembly is guaranteed under article 10 1 b of the federal constitution which provides that.
The same political coalition ruled malaysia from independence in 1957 until 2018 maintaining power by manipulating electoral districts appealing to ethnic nationalism and suppressing criticism through restrictive speech laws and politicized prosecutions of opposition leaders. All citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms. Freedom of expression freedom of assembly and association. Kuala lumpur feb 22 malaysia has not made progress on various human rights areas amnesty international ai said in its annual report on the country released today.
On 8 july 2020 the human right watch reported that malaysian authorities have initiated criminal investigations against people criticizing government. Rakyat marhaen article 10 1 of the federal constitution of malaysia grants malaysian citizens freedom of speech the right to assemble peaceably and the right to form associations. The protection of these rights including the rights to peaceful assembly afforded to malaysians and to any foreign nationals including the rohingya. The freedom of speech in malaysia has been widely disputed upon as many rallies and protests including bersih has been seen to have its members arrested without warrant.
Quoted from the federal constitution every citizen has the right to free expression and speech. Recognizing the plight of the rohingya malaysia must play a proactive role to protect and promote the rights of the community within and outside of malaysia. The group highlighted six problem areas for the country.