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    06 May 2012| last updated at 07:06PM

    Demos okay, but stay within the law: Najib



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    ROMPIN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government has no objections to demonstrations as long they did not transgress the country's laws.

     

    He said the Barisan Nasional (BN)  government practised open democracy and everyone's rights was protected under existing laws.
     
    "We have no objections if you want to hold a peaceful demonstration, we practise open democracy, everyone has rights, including the opposition, but the country's laws must be respected.
     
    "But do it peacefully, like civilised people, not go wild and jump around as though you have lost your senses," he said at an "Evening with the Prime Minister" event at Dataran Rompin which was attended by some 10,000 despite heavy rain, here today. 
     
    Also present were the prime minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and Rompin MP Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis.
     
    Referring to the Bersih 3.0 rally in the federal capital on April 29 that turned violent, Najib said he was dissapointed that some of the participants did
    not only not respect the laws, but also refused to heed police's orders and even attacked policemen.
     
    He said this was aimed at tarnishing  the image of the police and draw the attention of the international media to claim that Malaysian police were brutal.
    "We told them to hold the rally in a stadium, but they wanted to bring the participants to the streets.
     
    "Maybe they were unhappy that if held in the stadium, foreign media like  Al-Jazeera, CNN and BBC would not be interested," he said.
     
    On another note, Najib said the BN would continue its struggle to ensure the wellbeing of Malaysians and bring about a transformation in their lives,
    especially for people living in rural areas and Felda settlements.
     
    "In a day or two we will be making a major announcement on a windfall for Felda settlers. However, we are not looking only into the wellbeing of Felda
    settlers, we will also try to increase the allocation for people living in kampungs so that they too can have even better lives," he said. - Bernama

    NSTP/Halim Mat Ali

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