KUALA LUMPUR: Twenty-five Black 505 protesters were detained by the police after a tense showdown in front of Parliament Monday.
Tensions eased after Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad stepped in and spoke to the protesters.
The group, which had marched from Padang Merbuk after a two-night stay to hand a memorandum on the Election Commission to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, tried to break the police barrier blocking entry into Parliament.
Police retaliated by arresting some non-governmental organisation (NGO) members as Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel stood by with tear gas.
Khalid, who is also PAS central committee member, pacified the crowd, promising to hand the memorandum to the relevant authorities.
“We will hand this memo to the relevant authorities, the Prime Minister and Home Ministry, to have re-election, an RCI (Royal Commission of Inquiry) on suspect voting practices, and an overhaul of the EC,” he said, speaking on behalf of Pakatan Rakyat.
He said the rally showed “the dedication of the people for a clean election and a government that is truly chosen by the public”.
When a protester asked Khalid to boycott the swearing-in, he replied: “If we boycott the swearing-in, gerrymandering will continue. Who will object? If we are in Parliament we can fight for you.”
The altercation lasted about two hours.
The furore began when an activist attempted to break through the human barrier formed by the police and threw bags filled with orange paint on several officers.
There were then scuffles between the cops and activists, although the majority of marchers and police asked for everyone to stay calm.
The NGOs had waited after PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah said earlier in the day that she would try get permission for several representatives to enter Parliament and hand over their memorandum.
However, they soon became restless and attempted to breach the barrier.
The group has now moved back to Padang Merbuk, but will soon move to Dang Wangi police station and await the release of the detained activists.
– THE STAR
