Among the grounds police had given in wanting to remand several leaders over the anti-GST protest yesterday was because the wedding of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's daughter came up at the rally.
This was revealed by Padang Serai MP N Surendran, who was part of the legal team that represented four leaders during their remand hearing this morning.
"Some of the issues that were raised by the police for grounds of application for remand.... is that there was a demand at the rally to cancel GST.
"Another reason was corruption was raised, and another was that the rally organisers raised about lavish spending in the country.
"Another reason is that during the rally, the speakers raised the wedding of Najib's daughter (Nooryana Najwa).
"These were among the reasons for which the individuals are investigated under the Sedition Act and Section 143 of the Penal Code," Surendran told reporters outside the Jinjang police detention centre this afternoon.
Section 143 of the Penal Code makes it an offence to be a member of an unlawful assembly.
The four were former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan, DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke, PAS central committee member Hatta Ramli, and PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan.
All four were released after police failed to secure a remand.
Ambiga, Loke and Arutchelvan were arrested late last night and detained overnight, while Hatta surrendered himself to police this morning.
Surendran said the grounds raised by the police, which did not appear criminal in nature, was an abuse of power and praised the magistrate for rejecting the remand application.
Puchong MP Gobind Deo Singh who was also part of the legal team said the magistrate rejected police's request for a four-day remand on grounds that the four were prepared to cooperate and had turned up when summoned by police.
However, he said the four will need to present themselves at Dang Wangi district police headquarters at 4pm for their statements to be recorded.
'Kept in lock-up for nothing'
Meanwhile, Loke and Arutchelvan said police did not take their statement nor did they do anything, even though both were detained overnight at the Jinjang police detention centre.
"Yesterday, when the police called so urgently, I said (to them) can I come this morning. They said, 'No, you come now; if not we come and arrest you.'
"We came, and for the whole day, (for a) few hours, we waited. Nothing happened. This is pure punishment and misuse of power," said Arutchelvan.
"An officer from Bukit Aman told me at 8pm last night. He told me, either I go to the police station that night or police will come and pick me up at home.
"The reason why I surrendered myself last night was because I did not want police to come to my house at 3am and upset my family," added Loke.
He also was puzzled why he is being investigated under the Sedition Act.
"Not only I do not know what I said was seditious, even the police don't know (if) what I said was seditious.
"When the magistrate asked the investigating officer (what was seditious), he said the police have not completed watching the video (of the protest). So, how can they say what I said was seditious?" Loke said.
"The magistrate had given the investigating officer all the opportunity to mention even one reason why we should be detained longer but finally, the police gave up and had nothing more to say," added Hatta.
Meanwhile, Ambiga criticised the police for not making a single arrest over "grand larceny", which even former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had raised but instead, cracked down on a legitimate protest.
She added that May Day is celebrated throughout the world and the fact there is a crackdown in Malaysia made the country a "huge joke".
"(Former opposition leader) Anwar Ibrahim has said he will never surrender. Najib has said he will never surrender.
"Let me tell you now, the rakyat will never surrender this country to thieves, robbers, and megalomaniacs," she said. - M'kini
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