The newly-minted Penang DAP headquarters - Wisma DAP - and three other party service centres were today found smeared with red paint following a spate of pre-dawn attacks.
According to Komtar assemblyperson Ng Wei Aik, he was alerted about the attack on the three-storey DAP headquarters in Jalan Rangon at about 4am by a security volunteer.
"We are under attack again! Wisma DAP Pg been splashed with five packs of red paints early this morning," Ng, the state DAP Youth chief, announced on Twitter .
Ng, when contacted, told Malaysiakini through SMS that he would be lodging a police report at the Jalan Pattani Northeast District police station later this morning.
Ng said that a CCTV recording has captured footage of the incident at about 1.15am, where two motorcycles were seen splashing the paint from a lane on the right of the building.
"The two motorcyclists were wearing helmets and we found six plastic packets of red paint, not five, splashed on our building," Ng added.
The building, which cost the party about RM3 million, was launched early this year.
Service centres hit, too
It is also learnt that the Air Putih service centre in Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's state seat was also splashed with red paint ( right ).
A party member was said to have discovered the incident at about 6am.
Dato' Keramat DAP service centre in Jagdeep Singh Deo's constituency was also hit with red paint. The service centre, where six plastic bags of red paint were found, is located opposite the Dato Keramat police station.
"We also found the Pulau Tikus centre - whose assemblyman is Koay Teng Hai - smeared with two packets of red paint. We have lodged police reports," said Ng.
It is uncertain at the moment, how many other DAP service centres were hit in what appeared to be coordinated attacks.
This is the third attack against the party's headquarters since last year. On Aug 14, 2011, the building - previously located on Jalan Talipon - was splashed with orange and red paint.
At the same time, Ng's service centre in Lorong Seratus Tahun was also hit with both orange and red paint ( left ). A car parked outside the service centre that day was found smeared with paint.
According to eye-witnesses, a group of six on three motorcycles had come to Ng's service centre at around 1.20am and hurled a number of small plastic bags with paint.
Arson attempt in second attack
Another attack, which occurred four days later, was more serious.
It involved suspected arson , where a stack of newspapers outside the building was set on fire at about 3am.
Ng, who is also political secretary to the Penang CM, told the media the fire was put out by neighbouring residents and the Fire Department in 20 minutes and this had stopped the flames from spreading to other parts of the building.
In both cases, police was alerted but they have yet to find the culprits.
In the case of the arson, then Penang police chief Ayub Yaacob had visited the DAP building and vowed a thorough investigation into the incident.
When met later at Jalan Rangoon, Jagdeep urged the police to bring the perpetrators to justice, saying he suspected no one at the moment.
The lawyer thanked the police for responding and for sending a forensic team to his centre as soon as they had received a call from his office.
“I hope the forensic results would reveal the fingerprints of the perpetrators so that the police can expediate their action,” Jagdeep told reporters when met at the DAP service centre.
“I do not suspect anyone but whoever who did this is uncivilised as this is totally against Malaysian culture. They are also cowards.”
Jagdeep said the fact that the culprit had done the act when his office is right in front of the Dato Keramat police station shows how “brazen and daring” they are to go against the law.
Jagdeep’s service centre is also a few metres away from the state BN operations centre along the same road.
At a press conference, state DAP chief and state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow said police inaction over other violent cases against Pakatan leaders “encouraged” more of such incidences.
He added that the aggression seen in such acts have become an “unhealthy political culture” which must be stopped at once.
“The culprits do these to Pakatan representatives so that they can achieve their aims and get what they want,” said the Tanjung MP.
“We see it as a threat and urge the police to act immediately so as to not promote this form of violence in Penang,” he added.
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