Another opposition event hit a snag in Johor after the local council refused to grant approval for the venue. Mengkibol state assemblyperson Tan Hong Pin said the Kluang Municipal Council (MPK) refused to allow its premises to be used for the Kluang Festival as it was organised by opposition elected representatives. Even though I attended several meetings with MPK, its officers suggested that we do not use MPK premises as the event is organised by the opposition. We were then asked to meet with the Johor state secretariat (SUK) but to no avail. The SUK even said that no approval will be given to any activities organised by the opposition, he added in a statement. This is the third such incident in recent weeks. On Tuesday, PAS announced that it had to move its annual general assembly venue from an open space near Sutera Mall, Johor Bahru to Batu Pahat after the landlord received pressure from local authorities. Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) also revealed on the same day that the Johor Bahru City Council had cancelled a booking made by the party at an auditorium owned by the local council. A Merdeka forum organised by PSM was to take place at the venue two days later. Tan said the Kluang Community Centre (KCC) which is organising the Kluang Festival had applied for the venue since June. He said the festival was merely a cultural event to promote community building among the local populace and had nothing to do with politics. Meanwhile, Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong called on Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin to explain the series of attempts to block events organised by the opposition in the state. The state government is responsible for overseeing the local authorities therefore we ask that the menteri besar explain the matter, he said. https://facebook/kluangcc1/posts/297193857151861
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 12:00:00 +0000
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