The secretariat’s legal adviser, Zaid Malek, said they sent a letter to the police on Jan 15, as required by the PAA, notifying them of the planned rally.

He said district police chief Sulizme Affendy Sulaiman responded two days later, instructing the organisers to obtain the consent of the owner or occupier of the place of assembly.

“This demand was purportedly made under Section 11 of the PAA, which the police cited as a condition for the notice of assembly under Section 9 of the PAA.

“We are surprised by this condition set by the police, which has no legal basis whatsoever. This rally is being conducted in public places, which the police are fully aware of, as per our notification.

“The rally is to commence outside Sogo (department store) in Kuala Lumpur and proceed towards Dataran Merdeka. These are all public places that can be used by the public ‘as of right’, as stated in Section 3 of the PAA,” Zaid, who is also the director of Lawyers for Liberty, said in a statement today.

He said the purpose of the PAA is to facilitate public gatherings and not to impede or obstruct them.

Zaid urged the police and government to facilitate the assembly on Jan 25, which is provided for by Article 10(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution as well as the PAA.