DAP take note of the announcement of Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar that police will investigate the burning of effigies of DAP leaders at a Kota Baru Umno event.
We are however displeased with his statement that the police was waiting for reports to be lodged to initiate investigation.
If it were the effigy of our Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak being torched, will the police wait for reports to be lodged before taking any action? Or the police will immediately lodge a report on their own (it is not unusual for them to do so anyway) and hunt down the culprits without any hesitation?
At the same time, we have yet to hear any comment from Umno top leaders on the incident, especially its president and deputy Prime Minister.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the following on the stomping incident:
“Action (against them) is on the way. Please respect the leaders. Differences of opinion must not lead to insults and stomping on the posters of leaders.”[1]
Since Zahid agrees that we should respect the leaders and stomping on the posters of leaders is unacceptable for him, will he now say the same thing to Kota Bharu Umno and discipline them for burning the effigies of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and DAP Parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang?
In any event, police report was lodged against the effigies burning incident at Kota Bharu by DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) yesterday. Since IGP has promised that their investigation “will be the same as when we investigated those who stepped on prime minister’s photo”, DAP demands to know when will the police offer a reward for information leading to the successful arrest of individuals involved in the burning of effigies? Will the police ask Kota Bharu Umno chief Mohd Fatmi Che Salleh to surrender himself and if he fails to do so arrest him immediately?