KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — The government has granted a moratorium allowing peaceful assemblies to proceed without requiring venue owners’ permission while awaiting amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (Act 736) to take effect.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the proposed amendments, which will be tabled in the next Dewan Rakyat session, will remove the requirement for organisers to obtain approval from venue owners.
Instead, they will only need to notify the police five days before the assembly.
“This decision simplifies all forms of assemblies, except when they pose a security threat,” Anwar said in a Facebook post today.
“Pending the enforcement of the new amendments, the government has granted a moratorium allowing peaceful assemblies to proceed without requiring a permission letter from the premises owner.”
He added that this is a key reform in line with the Madani government’s principles, which uphold democracy, freedom of expression, and respect for differing views.
The current law requires organisers to secure the consent of venue owners, including local authorities, before holding an assembly.
Critics have argued that this provision has been used to stifle public gatherings.
