KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — DAP chairman Gobind Singh Deo has urged Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar to withdraw an application seeking to review a landmark Federal Court decision that found a key section of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) unconstitutional.
In a statement today, Gobind pointed out that the government was already on the path of institutional and legislative reforms that inluded the specific law.
“As such, given that efforts are already underway to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act, we should take this opportunity to revisit and improve the provisions of the Act through Parliament instead of pursuing further litigation by way of review,” he said
The issue stems from a 2025 Federal Court ruling in the case of Amir Hariri Abdul Hadi, which found that Section 9(5) of the PAA — a provision that penalises organisers for failing to provide prior notice for assemblies — violates the fundamental liberties guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.
Yesterday, Communication Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the government has provisionally agreed to purse the amendments and could consequently propose that the AG discontinue the review application.
Gobind, who is also the minister of digital, confirmed that the matter was discussed at the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
He explained that the MADANI government is already proactively working on improvements to the PAA that extend beyond just Section 9(5).
A court review, he warned, would not only delay this process but would also limit the scope of reforms to only the specific legal points raised in the application.
He reiterated that Pakatan Harapan has consistently called for reforms to the PAA and that amending the Act aligns with the prime minister’s broader institutional reform agenda, which includes separating the roles of the AG and Public Prosecutor and introducing a Freedom of Information Act.
