Public will not buy IGP Khalid’s impartiality claim, says Kit Siang
BY CLARA CHOOI
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 – Lim Kit Siang pre-empted disbelief among Malaysians today to Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar’s claim that the police would be impartial when punishing law-breakers, accusing the newly-minted Inspector-General of Police (IGP) of having “denial syndrome”.
In a statement slamming the widespread crackdown on opposition supporters, the DAP adviser (picture) said that even in his first week of the job as IGP, Khalid has already earned himself a “dubious reputation” for being overly political.
Lumping Khalid in the same category as newly-minted Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Lim said combined, the duo would concoct a “toxic brew” for democracy that would eventually lead to the end of the current Barisan Nasional (BN) regime.
“Does Khalid really think his claim that the police will act without fear or favour against all law-breakers, whether they are Umno/BN VVIPs or bigshots to be believed by the general Malaysian public?
“If so, then the police leadership is suffering from a double malady – a grave public credibility gap as well as an equally serious denial syndrome,” he said.
Khalid denied in Utusan Malaysia today that the police have been neglecting its crime-fighting duties to hunt down opposition supporters on orders from BN, and insisted that the police have always acted fairly to all law-breakers, regardless their political leanings.
Khalid also denied that the police is a pro-government agency, an allegation that has surfaced over the recent arrests of PR leaders for a probe under the Sedition Act 1948, namely PKR’s Chua Tian Chang and PAS’s Tamrin Ghafar.
“PDRM has never memihak (favoured) and pro anyone. The police is a body that only enforces laws that are issued and take action on those trying to create tension.
“If we don’t act, our country may face a public peace crisis and place Malaysia as a country that is unsafe to reside in. No matter who and which individual that breaks the rules, we will arrest,” he told Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia in an interview published today.
But Lim disagreed, pointing to many incidents over the past few weeks that saw PR supporters, activists and leaders hauled in for police questioning and even slapped with court charges.
PR leaders have been protesting the results of Election 2013, which saw BN returned to power despite losing the popular vote.
The polls outcome triggered the string of “Black 505” protests nationwide as indignant opposition leaders and voters rallied against BN’s return to power despite failing to win the majority number of votes cast.
But the newly-sworn in BN government immediately moved to flex its muscles, mounting a nationwide clampdown that has seen the arrests of more than 20 people and the confiscation of thousands of opposition party newspapers.
Among the first to face charges was PKR’s communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who was hauled to court for allegedly contravening the Peaceful Assembly Act 2011 in organising the mammoth PR rally at the Kelana Jaya Stadium on May 8.
A spate of arrests followed soon after as the police widened its dragnet, hauling in key opposition leaders and activists like Dr Chen Man Hin, Chua Tian Chang, Tamrin Ghafar, Haris Ibrahim, Thomas Su, Ong Kian Ming and student leader Adam Adli.
“While Malaysians await the advent of Malaysian Spring, Zahid and Khalid should not usher in a new era of darkness reminiscent of Operation Lalang in 1987 with their toxic brew to undermine democratic and human rights of Malaysians,” Lim said.
“Instead, they should drop all charges against Pakatan Rakyat leaders and civil society activists, which are clearly political in nature,” he added.
