Arutchelvan says misunderstanding led to brief scuffle at Parliament gates
Arutchelvan, who fell during the incident, was leading more than 100 plantation workers from Perak, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah and Johor to submit a draft bill making it compulsory for estates to provide homes for local workers.
Police initially blocked the group from gathering at the Parliament gates, prompting shouts of "Don't push" from the demonstrators.
They were later allowed to hand over the draft to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran and opposition chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
Arutchelvan said the brief clash was the result of a misunderstanding.
"We already informed all MPs that we would be coming to the Parliament gates. We were not going to enter the compound, but they wanted us to stand further away from the gate," he said.
"We saw the police trying to separate the plantation workers from Parliament and telling us not to gather near the gates. There was actually no issue – we only wanted to be right outside Parliament, not far away across the road."
He added that the organisers had informed all relevant parties before the march.
"We had notified the police, Parliament and MPs before the event. The problem is police need to assist peaceful assembly, but they cannot make it difficult because Parliament is the symbol of democracy, not a symbol of tyranny," he said.
Arutchelvan also stressed that the public had the right to assemble peacefully outside Parliament, as provided for under the Federal Constitution.
"They tried to stop us from coming closer… that is why we clashed – but eventually they let us in," he said.
The 200-page draft bill presented by the group also traced the problem back to the time of former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who in 1973 introduced a scheme requiring plantation companies to build housing for estate workers.
However, Arutchelvan said the scheme was never enshrined in law and has not been consistently followed by plantation companies.
"We have drafted the proposed Act to make it easier for the government, and we have already submitted it to five state governments," he said.
The march began in Taman Tugu, Kuala Lumpur, with workers carrying banners and chanting slogans calling for better living conditions.
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