Media Statement (2) by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling
Jaya on Friday, 10th October 2008:
Police should stop harassing Hindraf and
RPK supporters for visiting the Prime Minister-cum-Cabinet Hari Raya
Open House as if they are common criminals and end their ridiculous
investigations to concentrate on reducing crime
Police are taking things too far in
initiating investigations against two groups over their presence at the
Prime Minister-cum-Cabinet Hari Raya Open House last Wednesday – the
Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) members and “I’m with RPK”
supporters who had turned up at the Open House with T-shirts bearing the
theme of their cause.
Four Hindraf members, K Shanti, wife of Hindraf leader-in-exile P
Waythamoorthy, Hindraf information chief S Jayathas, Selangor
coordinator K Tamilselvam and national events coordinator R Kannan have
been served with
written notice under Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Code to
report to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters on Tuesday to give
their statements for
illegal assembly under Section 27 (5) of the Police Act, as well as
trespass under Section 447 pf the Penal Code.
Three persons, lawyer-blogger Haris Ibrahim, lawyer Amarjit Sidhu and
blogger P. Surind Raj are required to report to the police in connection
with their “I’m with RPK” demonstration at the PWTC Hari Raya Open
House.
Are the Umno leaders and Police seriously suggesting that the allegedly
200,000 people who visited the Prime Minister-cum-Cabinet Open House,
particularly who went with more than five in number, could be
investigated by the police for illegal assembly and trespass?
If so, Malaysians should think twice before they go to future Open
Houses whether of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister or Cabinet
Ministers – as they risk criminal sanctions!
The Police should stop harassing Hindraf and RPK supporters for visiting
the Prime Minister-cum-Cabinet Hari Raya Open House as if they are
common criminals and end their ridiculous investigations to concentrate
on reducing crime.
Umno leaders and others are entitled to their view whether the peaceful
and orderly presence of the two groups at the PWTC Hari Raya Open House
should take the opportunity plead their cause for the release of the
Hindraf Five and Raja Petra Kamaruddin, and they have done so – in many
cases, gone to extremes in inciting racial and religious hatred – but it
is completely unwarranted d for the police to be dragooned into the
intimidation process to create a culture of fear.
It is also utterly baseless for the Prime-Minister-in-waiting, Datuk
Seri Najib Razak to go overboard in his remarks in Kuala Terengganu
yesterday in suggesting that both groups were guilty of “unruly and
indecent behaviour” which could even “undermine the country’s unity and
security”.
It is such making a mountain out of a molehill which characterizes a
tendency to abuse powers – which becomes very dangerous to the people
and country if such a person is vested with huge powers as in the case
of a Prime Minister-in-waiting.
*
Lim
Kit Siang, DAP
Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor
http://dapmalaysia.org