Top PKR, Pakatan Rakyat Moments Outside SOGO Over The Years

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The organisers of a protest against bribery and corruption that is supposed to happen this Saturday (25 January) were told by police that the gathering is in violation of the Peaceful Asseembly Act 2012 (Act 736), and warned the public against participating in it.

According to New Straits Times, the Himpunan Rakyat Benci Rasuah rally is set to begin in front the of the SOGO shopping mall on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, and end at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

Apparently, the area just outside SOGO is not a public space, and authorities told the organisers that they would need permission from the shopping mall’s management to conduct their rally there.

Home minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail rejected claims by the rally organiser that the condition set by the police has no legal basis, according to a Malaysia Kini report.

“Public spaces do not have owners. But if it’s outside the Sogo department store, you must get approval from Sogo.

“For Dataran Merdeka, you must seek permission from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). That’s the law,” he said in a press conference after the Asia 2025 International Security Summit and Expo in Putrajaya yesterday (21 January).

Meanwhile, Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman confirmed in a statement that the police had received a notification about the rally.

“The police have reviewed the notice and found that it was incomplete, as it did not include a copy of the consent from the owner or occupier of the proposed place of assembly,” he said.

Permission for rally “defies logic and law” says lawyer

Zaid Malek, the director of rights group Lawyers for Liberty slammed home minister Saifuddin Nasution for saying permission must be obtained in order to hold the gathering ouside the SOGO shopping mall.

In a statement, Zaid said the remarks were “ignorant and reckless” and “defies logic and law”.

“Following this absurd logic, no public gathering can take place in Malaysia so long as surrounding building owners object to it,” he said.

Zaid also asked why the government should be so afraid of an anti-corruption rally “when they have made a boast of fighting corruption”.

He also said that the police have no power to declare an assembly unlawful, adding that the law only required notice to be given.

In the past, SOGO has witnessed many rallies.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), back when they were the opposition, under current prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was no stranger to rallies in Padang Merbok, Dataran Merdeka and, surprise surprise, SOGO.

At the time, the call was for the people to “ubah” and reject the Barisan Nasional (BN) government under Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

In short, SOGO had become such a favourite rally spot, the opposition at the time should have just declared it their HQ.

2015 #KitaLawan rally

For instance, in February 2015 the #KitaLawan rally that was held in support of Anwar during his prison stint saw protesters gathered in front of SOGO, where they were heard calling Najib to step down as prime minister.

It was also reported that one of the rally organisers, Mandeep Singh, was quoted by the media to have said the group had rejected offers by police for the rally to be held at a stadium in March that year.

Blackout 505 flash mob

Meawhile back in 2013, media outlets reported ten participants of the Blackout 505 flash mob were arrested in front of the SOGO shopping mall.

Blackout 505 was a series of rallies leading up to the 2013 General Election, organised by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) supporters protesting against electoral fraud.

The name refers to the alleged power blackouts that happened in voting centers during the 2013 GE, after which additional ballot boxes allegedly appeared after the blackout ended.

Bersih 4.0

At the Bersih 4.0 rally in 2015, then-opposition leader Dr Wan Azizah rallied a crowd in front of SOGO to give a short and spirited speech before marching to Dataran Merdeka.

Economy minister Rafizi Ramli, who was PKR’s secretary-general at the time, and Democratic Action Party (DAP) adviser Lim Kit Siang, were also seen at some of the Bersih 4.0 rally points that year.

Bersih is a coalition of non-govermental organisations (NGO) which seek to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections.

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