Press Statement by Lim Guan Eng in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, 24^th January 2009: 

BN and Selangor police should stop practicing vindictive and vengeance politics after the loss of KT by-election and heed the voters voice for change and stop abuses of power and violation of basic human rights 

DAP urges BN and the police the heed the voice of the voters in the Kuala Terengganu by-election on 17 January 2009 that threw out the UMNO candidate who was a Deputy Home Affairs Minister, in favour of the Pakatan Rakyat candidate PAS Mohamed Abdul Wahid Endut. The voters were unmoved by BN's money politics of pouring in tens of millions of ringgit to try to distract attention from BN's abuses of power, corruption and violation of human rights and failure to address poverty. Instead the voters chose PR's version of a democratic, people-centric government with ethical leadership based on the principles of freedom, justice, truth, welfare and moral values.

Unfortunately BN and the police appears not to have heeded such calls for changes and continue such abuses of power with the decision to charge atotal of 21 people in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court on 23 January 2009 with taking part in an illegal assembly and failing to disperse when ordered to do so.

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, Selangor state executive council member Ronnie Liu, Kampong Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San, Reverend Father Paulino Francesco Miranda of the Church of Divine Mercy and the rest were charged under the Police Act when they were protesting against the ISA in front of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) building on Nov 9 last year. By charging elected representatives who were peacefully meeting with their constituents to protest against a draconian law that has been condemned by international human rights bodies is a travesty of justice and a mockery of human rights.

The DAP unreservedly condemns the Selangor police and the BN government for practicing vindictive and vengeance politics after the loss of the KT by-election loss by charging PR elected representatives and supporters. The DAP calls on the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to intervene by immediately dropping all charges to prove his commitment to democratic reforms and human rights.

Another sad human tragedy that highlights continued abuses of power and violation of basic human rights by the Selangor Police is the death under police custody of Kugan Ananthan at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya.Whilst we welcome Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail decision to classify the death as murder, there is no confidence in the credibility and integrity of the Selangor police to conduct an impartial and independent investigation.

There should be an independent investigation to ensure that there is no cover-up and a second post-mortem conducted to determine not only the cause of death BUT ALSO other injuries he had suffered. This is to ensure that there is a full accounting of other injuries to show that even though may not have been the cause of death but is evidence of torture by the police. DAP condemns the Selangor police for such unprofessional behaviour and urges the government to amend the procedures for post-mortem to include all other injuries that may not have led to death to determine whether a person was tortured or not.

* Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General & Penang Chief Minister; Member of Parliament for Bagan