Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (April 6): Pakatan Harapan will be holding a march by members of parliament tomorrow morning to demand the release of Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and submit a memorandum to the inspector-general of police (IGP) on the matter.

Seremban MP Anthony Loke said that the event, called "MPs' March", will begin at 9am from the Parliament building to the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters.

Pakatan Harapan MPs will hand over a memorandum to IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar to demand Rafizi's immediate release and for the police not to carry out any action that infringes the sovereignty of Parliament.

Loke, who is DAP's whip in the Dewan Rakyat, said the whips of other Pakatan component parties will inform their respective MPs about the march.

"We also extend the invitation to PAS MPs and Barisan Nasional MPs, because this is not about Rafizi, but about the institution of Parliament," Loke told a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

Also present were several other Pakatan MPs including Johari Abdul (PKR-Sungai Petani), Khalid Samad (Amanah-Shah Alam), Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena), Hatta Ramli (Amanah-Kuala Kerai) and Shamsul Iskandar Akin (PKR-Bukit Katil).

Johari said the march by the MPs would send a strong signal to the police that "we mean business".

Rafizi was arrested at the Parliament exit yesterday evening under Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act (OSA). He was remanded for another three days today.

Last week, Rafizi made public information from the Auditor-General's Report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) which is classified under the OSA.

He had said that his action was aimed at showing that 1MDB and the Armed Forced Fund Board (LTAT) were allegedly misleading the people with regards to payment for the relocation of the airbase under the Bandar Malaysia project.

The opposition MPs earlier brought up Rafizi's arrest to Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, demanding a ruling that the arrest was in contempt of Parliament, after a motion was passed to request the IGP to ensure that MPs can attend parliamentary sittings without hindrances.

The Speaker had said he will study the matter to see what constitutes the Parliament compound.

However, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman has issued a statement to say that the arrest of Rafizi was in accordance with the law.

Commenting on this, Loke said Azalina has usurped the powers of the Speaker by making a statement before the Speaker made a decision.

"This is not the Prime Minister's Department, but the Parliament, the Speaker is the highest authority of this institution," said Loke.

 

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