Police permits for ceramahs revoked, says Azmin

November 25, 2011
Azmin (centre) sharing a light moment with PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin (right) during the PKR assembly in Johor Baru November 25. — Picture by Choo Choy May
JOHOR BARU, Nov 25 — Police have revoked all permits for PKR ceramahs scheduled to coincide with the party’s national congress here, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said today.

The Gombak MP told a press conference that some of the “15 to 20 ceramahs for each night were given permits but then cancelled at the 11th hour without any reason.”

“We will still go ahead. This will only accelerate the process (of taking Johor),” he said.

The Malaysian Insider reported this morning that Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman summoned district officers yesterday morning to brief them on “limiting the impact of the ceramahs.”

Azmin also claimed at the press conference that police were also ordered by Umno to block the ceramahs, spread over 14 different federal constituencies.

PKR began a weekend assault on the Umno bastion of Johor today intent on taking over the state with de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim set to speak in at least eight events over the next three nights.

“Johor used to be known as a BN fixed deposit state. But now Johor is with Pakatan Rakyat.

“It is not impossible. Selangor was also BN stronghold,” Azmin said, referring to the state now governed by a PKR-led administration.

Johor was mostly unaffected from the March 2008 “tsunami” that swept PR into power in five states and denied Barisan Nasional (BN) its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The opposition coalition won just one federal and six state seats out of 26 and 56 respectively on offer in Election 2008 with none of the winners coming from PKR.

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