Biro Tata Negara (BTN) deputy director Hamim Husain today lodged a police report at Sentul district police headquarters against news portal, The Malaysian Insider, and one of its journalists over an article that claimed that he had uttered racist remarks.
Hamim refused to comment when quizzed by the press as he left the police station, and declined to reveal the contents of his police report.
Instead, he merely recited the al-Fatihah and prayed for Muslim unity outside the police station.
Hamim has added salt to injury and compounded his utter contempt for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept.
Is the BTN committed to Muslim unity or the 1Malaysia and Malaysian unity?
Hamim was accompanied by the Perkasa youth chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah when he went to the Sentul police station to lodge the report and acted as his spokesman.
Arman Azha said that the police report against The Malaysian Insider and one of its reporters was lodged because the reporter had misinterpreted Hamim’s statement and had sneaked into a closed-door programme that was organised by Puteri Umno.
Two questions immediately raised are:
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Can civil servants and BTN officials make incendiary, racist and insensitive statements going against Najib’s 1Malaysia concept and claim as protection that they are personal views made in private functions?
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Has the BTN Director-General and the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan given approval to Hamim to lodge the police report under the patronage of Perkasa? Isn’t this another gross breach of civil service discipline?
Up to now, there has been no denial of the Malaysian Insider report that Hamim had in a closed-door Puteri Umno function last week referred to the Chinese and Indian communities as “Si Mata Sepet” (“Squinty-eyed”) and “Si Botol” (“Alcoholics”) respectively when asking Puteri Umno members to approach the non-Malays for votes.
The excuse is that these are the personal views of Hamim and that they were made in a closed-door private function of Puteri Umno.
Perkasa has taken the ridiculous stand that Hamim is not wrong with what he said as it was said during a private closed-door function. Malaysians can ignore Perkasa but they are entitled to know whether it is acceptable and permissible if any of the UMNO Ministers had made the same remarks about “Si Mata Sepet” and “Si Botol” against the Chinese and Indian communities in private Umno or even private government functions?
Over the weekend, the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan had issued a general service circular to heads of departments instructing departmental heads to stop their officers from making statements touching on racial and religious sensitivities.
But Mohd Sidek’s warning that the government would not allow any action and conduct by a small number of the 1.2 million civil servants in the country contrary to the racial harmony forged by public officers as implementers of government policies had been like water down ducks back, “going into the right ear and coming straight out of the left ear” as illustrated Hamim’s action today – which is both an open defiance and contempt for the Chief Secretary’s circular.
This has compounded public disaffection at the total lack of political will and procrastination of the Najib premiership to take action against errant civil servants, not only against Hamim but also the two school principals although it is now 53 days since the first offence was committed by the Kulaijaya headmistress with her incendiary, racist and insensitive remarks against students in school.
The Cabinet cannot pass the buck of political responsibility to curb such anti-1Malaysia misconduct by public servants.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Unity and Performance Management) Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, when announcing yesterday that he would skip the Penang Gerakan EGM this Sunday because he would be attending the MCA AGM, had pledged to push for stern action against anyone, including politicians and civil servants, who make racist remarks.
Koh should realize that he had been responsible for the Cabinet portfolio of national unity since April last year, but never before as in the past 18 months had national unity in Malaysia been so under intense and escalating attack by the rhetoric of racial bigotry and religious extremism – all emanating internally from the Barisan Nasional and the bureaucracy!
Koh should ensure that the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday produces action to demonstrate that the Ministers have the political will to penalise Hamim and the two principals concerned and do not allow them to defy Najib’s 1Malaysia concept with impunity.
#1 by Bigjoe on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 6:00 pm
The one to blame is actually those who let these clowns speak at the events. You listen to their reasoning – its completely incoherent. It sounds like a six-year old when they got caught for doing something wrong. They should not be allowed out of the house much less to speak in public.
That’s it, the one to blame are the ones that put them on stage in the first place.
#2 by dcasey on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 6:08 pm
This SOB has been trying his best to wriggle out of the sh*t hole that he got himself into. At first he denied making such statement and now twist around and said his statement was his personal view and made behind closed door (which means to say he in fact uttered the offensive words). This itself shows how low-life this person is, one without credibility. If you say something, be man enough to admit saying it from the start. To make a police report and point fingers is NOT going to correct his wrong. This wrong is further aggravated by the act of getting a leader from Perkasa to be his spokeman. He is a govt officer for crying out loud! He does not get his pay from Perkasa, but from the tax payers….ie from the very people whom he has offended. If we have senior people from the govt (who himself lectures other civil servants in the govt under the BTN courses) who looks at Perkasa for support and cover when exposed, then God help Malaysia.
#3 by Dipoh Bous on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 6:16 pm
In the near future we might come across drug addicts making police reports against those who catch them doing their ‘private’ routine, etc,etc,etc…………………………..
I just wonder how this kind of guy is being ‘given’ such a high position…
Malaysia Memang BOOOOLeh !!
#4 by Godfather on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 6:31 pm
They are not interested in defending themselves. They just want the Police to investigate who actually leaked the truth to Malaysian Insider. The first thing they will do is to “cold storage” the whistleblower. The second thing they will do is to classify all BTN meetings and materials as “rahsia” under the Official Secrets Act. The third thing they will do is to come up with a police investigation that will prove that no such seditious comments were uttered by this clown.
In Bolehland, the law is what UMNO or Perkasa say it is. If they say it never happened, IT NEVER HAPPENED….
#5 by DAP man on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 7:57 pm
The Police will call up the reporter first thing tomorrow morning and question him under (only God knows) some imaginary law or trespassing and eavesdropping racist and incendiary speeches by Malay patriots.
Utusan will divert the attack on the whistleblower and exonerate the racist.
So now its UMNO+Perkasa+BTN.
#6 by DAP man on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 8:05 pm
Hamim has the DPM’s backing. Muhyiddin has not said a word about Hamim except that he “was in the dark” about the statements.
That is why he is daring to make a report with Perkasa in
#7 by cemerlang on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 9:18 pm
Just a few days ago, the chief secretary was telling the press that gomen servants should not make any racist statement or else they will face the music. How come till today still no action but got action against Namewee ? Datuk Lim Keng Yaik has stepped down as Gerakan’s advisor. And that is why Datuk Koh would not be attending the general meeting.
#8 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 10:59 pm
utterly shocked by Najib’s lackadaisical style to all the racist attacks by civil servants. His nonchalance and inaction is appalling.
Well, what do you expect of a lip-service giver. And one who merely talks and talks and is such a boring companion.
#9 by cskok8 on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 11:03 pm
You see, this whole affair is the fault of that reporter. He/she should not have been there listening to some speech that was meant for Puteri UMNO ears only. So this BTN SOB will get away scot-free and the reporter will be hauled up and re-educated not to trespass into UMNO affairs again.
#10 by Cinapek on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 12:41 am
Lets have some fun. The DAP should organise a “close door ” function and “allow” Utusan reporter to sneak in. Then make racist comments and watch the Perkasa bigots foam at their mouth and make police reports.
The very fact that the culprit had Perkasa accompanying him to make a police report is confirmation that he did make those racist remarks. Otherwise if he was innocent he could have march into the police station the moment the news broke and make the report on his own. Instead he needed the Perkasa crutch to give him courage to face the public. Perkasa claims the non Malays had “no bola” . Here is clear proof one of their own not only had no bola, he also has no backbone to stand up for what he said.
#11 by yhsiew on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 12:53 am
It is disgusting to see that Hamim Husain, after making racist remarks, sought support from Perkasa.
#12 by boh-liao on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 2:13 am
All signs point 2 chaos, racial tit 4 tat, operasi lalang, elections, n UmnoB/BN winning again
#13 by cemerlang on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 6:19 am
Because it is memalukan for your manager to be scolding his employees in front of the public because the public will think he has failed in not managing his employees properly. While it is the fault of the employees, it is the actual fault of the manager because he did not teach him properly to observe all laws and not to break even one. Similarly, he will feel ashamed if he speak badly of his own feethand and it is against one of the rules and regulations in the civil service to always speak good about the service even though it is not so and everyone knows. Just like parents scolding the child, yes the child feels ashamed but when the public looks at the parents, they will say the parents do not know how to discipline in the correct way. Would you the parent publicly yell and rottan your child in front of everyone ?
#14 by Jeffrey on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 8:22 am
It is interesting how people tend to excuse their wrongful conduct by pleading it was done in personal and not official capacity. There are several objections to such an excuse:
1. Personal views – as distinguished from official views- are not exculpatory when it concerns wrong doing including being racist in conduct or speech. Otherwise ‘1 Malaysia’ will be mocked if it were argued that government’s officials are not permitted to express racist views and agenda officially but could do so in their personal capacities.
2. Besides how could “personal capacity” be invoked as excuse when the alleged act of uttering racist epithets, whether by the two principals or the BTN Deputy director were uttered in the official course of their work and employment???
3. Also it is not the intent of the person uttering the offensive words – for a state of mind and intention cannot be objectively proven – but the objective effect and influence of the words on his audience that matters. The audience cannot appreciate the ‘rarefied’ difference between when a person intends official or when personal in the course of what he says to them. That is why intent is irrelevant in a case of sedition charge.
It is alleged that The Malaysian Insider’s reporter had misinterpreted Hamim’s statement and had sneaked into a closed-door programme that was organised by Puteri Umno. Now ever quite so often when a ruling politician made a gaffe in public statement he turns around and says that he is misinterpreted by members of the press from the main stream. When has misinterpretation by a reporter become a criminal offence for a police report to be lodged – or for that matter for a journalist to “sneak” into a closed-door programme in the interest of public information?
The Question to ask is why are people lodging police reports when there is no iota of reasonable cause to do so unless it is for purposes solely of inconveniencing and harassing those they disapprove by police taking statements etc, never mind no charge is preferred.
YB Kit: Hamim has a personal right to lodge police report without BTN Director-General’s and the Chief Secretary’s consent with or without patronage of Perkasa. It is not productive to challenge such lodgment – a personal right – based on “gross breach of civil service discipline”!
Better to challenge it on the basis of abuse of this personal right! There’s a bigger issue at stake here. The public space will be bullied into silence when people, with complicity of authorities, are allowed to simply lodge police reports without reasonable cause in law or fact as an intimidation tool against and to silence members of opposition and civil society or the public from speaking out or reporting on issues of public importance, and this practice has got to be challenged. Is there a law against doing such things? There’s a law against making false police report. But some of these reports are not based on false facts: they are simply lodged with alacrity but without any reasonable basis drawn from any general knowledge/information that any criminal offence has really been committed. What are you prepared to do to counter this insidious trend?
#15 by dagen on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 8:50 am
Stupid fool. Puteri umno. Who are they? Representatives of the people dude. Some of them could even be elected reps. And what the heck was that dude talking about. Election. Voters. Strategy. That’s a public issue. Yeah. Discussing a public issue to peoples’ rep is by any measure a public matter. You may shut the door. That does not alter the real fact. A rambutan will not turn into something else even if it was kept say in the fridge. Ask cintanegara. He is the expert.
Hey dude. It was a stupid mistake. Quite clearly. And we all know that. Duh. It is best to let it be a stupid mistake. So just acknowledge it, will ya. After a while it would be forgotten dude. Nothin to worry. But oh boy, he decided to blow the stupid mistake up. Yeah. He made a police report. What the hell for? Really. Dont know. Well, frankly dont want to know. The umno arrogance has got to him obviously. And the btn racist and brainwashing mentality got his brain impulses misfiring constantly.
And wait a minute. BTN. Isnt that a gobermen body? What business has a gobermen body talking in private to a political party and strategising election moves with them. That is an abuse of position, isnt it?
Oh fhaaark it dude!
#16 by Joetan on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 9:14 am
In the end, the reporter is prosecuted under ISA just like in the Ahmad Ismail case bcos he/she is a threat to the security of the country.