I applaud the Malaysian Bar Council President Christopher Leong’s bold, righteous and forthright statement declaring that government inaction against a group of protestors that slaughtered chickens and smeared its blood on banners of politicians’ faces last week is tantamount to authorities ignoring threats to public order.
Leong said the incident, whereby banners featuring the faces of several DAP and PKR leaders’ were smeared with blood and propositions were made to the public to slap Seputeh MP Teresa Kok was dangerous as it also made references to the May 13, 1969 racial riots.
The Bar Council said the actions carried out by the group, which dubbed itself Council of Islamic NGOs, can be viewed as an “incitement and a threat to public order”.
“It is wholly irresponsible of the authorities not to take immediate and firm action.”
This episode is in fact the blackest mark for the Najib administration as far as police professionalism and the upholding the rule of law is concerned – worse than the “fairy tale” concocted by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar about the “grenade-plot to topple the elected government” at Dataran Merdeka on 2014 New Year’s Eve because of a peaceful gathering to protest price hikes or the equally preposterous allegation by the government that the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28, 2012 was a coup attempt to overthrow the government using “salt” and “mineral water bottles”!
On the one hand, the police is calling up actress Lim Ching Miau who starred as “Mrs Jit” in Teresa Kok’s “Onederful Malaysia” video to give a police statement, but on the other hand, the police are restrained and directed by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi not to investigate the scores of police reports by DAP and Pakatan Rakyat MPs and State Assembly representatives against the self-styled “Council of Islamic NGOs” which broke a slew of laws in their “bloody” demonstration last Thursday – including criminal intimidation, sedition, incitement of violence against a woman, incitement of violence against Member of Parliament and incitement to cause another May 13 racial riots.
More right-thinking Malaysians, whether NGOs or NGIs (individuals) should speak up to deplore the double-standards and failure of the Home Minister and the police to uphold the rule of law preferring, instead, to embrace the law of the jungle.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Cabinet meeting tomorrow cannot behave like the three monkeys of having eyes that see not, ears that hear not and mouth that speak not.
I call on the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to speak up, loud and clear, on this issue, and the least they should do is for the Cabinet tomorrow to repudiate and reprimand Zahid and police for their failure in discharing their duties to uphold the rule of law, preferring instead to condone resort to the law of the jungle.
The Prime Minister and the Cabinet must issue a clear and specific directive to the Inspector-General of Police for the police to stop applying double standards and to immediately investigate and prosecute the self-styled “Council of Islamic NGOs” for a slew of offences committed in their “bloody” demonstrations last Thursday.
If the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are not prepared to repudiate and reprimand Zahid and the Khalid for their disgraceful abdication of responsibilities as Home Minister and IGP, and the police fail to carry out their duties to immediately investigate the criminal offences by the “Council of Islamic NGOs”, this will become an urgent and priority issue in the March meeting of Parliament where the Prime Minister and Home Minister will be required to explain their role in the most shameful episode in the history of the Malaysian police.