POLICE today stopped a group of farmers marching to Parliament to submit a memorandum calling on Putrajaya to address the country’s alarming food security situation.

They were halted on the side road leading up to the government building.

The group was supported by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and Lawan Lapar, a movement aiming to ensure food security in Malaysia, the farmers memorandum was accepted by representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, and Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is also Muar MP.

Backbenchers took to X and decried the police action to stop the farmers’ march.

Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said there was no need for police to be “heavy-handed” towards the “peaceful protesters”, who are part of the Lawan Lapar movement, a campaign headed by youth organisation Undi18 and media outlet The Fourth.

“(Peaceful protests) are part of democracy and we must learn to facilitate it, as long as it follows all necessary procedures and remains peaceful.

“Whether or not I disagree with your cause or point of view, we will defend your right to express it in a democratic and peaceful way,” Yii said in a series of tweets.

Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan said Putrajaya’s approach to public assemblies must change.

He said the group should have been allowed to march up to Parliament’s gate.

“I’m not 100% sure what happened outside of Parliament today, but as a matter of principle, people should be allowed to march to Parliament to hand over a memorandum.

“What happened to PSM and Lawan Lapar today, based on social media, looks heavy-handed and unnecessary,” Syahredzan tweeted.

In its memorandum, the group said food imports have jumped 75-fold since 1990, and that data from the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry showed that Malaysia’s rice stocks will only last six months should international supply chains break down.

The memorandum urged the federal government and state governments to help reform land laws, by extending the maximum duration of temporary occupation licences from one year to five years.

PSM chairman Michael Jeyakumar said about 647.5ha of land, which had been used to produce vegetables, had been taken back for development over the last decade in Perak.

“This not only deprives farmers of their agricultural land, but also poses a significant food security threat,” he said. – September 12, 2023.