The Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar should make public the investigation results on the police report made 57 days ago against the Home Minister and UMNO Vice President, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for his remarks made during the Pengkalan Kubor by-election.
Whilst the investigations and charges brought against Pakatan Rakyat’s elected representatives and the academics has been strangely fast, the police and AG Chambers has failed to apply the same efficiency in the case involving Ahmad Zahid.
A police report against Ahmad Zahid has been lodged by me on 24/09/2014 concerning his racial remarks and false allegation against DAP for throwing stones at the car of the then Regent during a demonstration in 2009. Ahmad Zahid was reported to have made these false and uncalled for allegation at a ceramah during the Pengkalan Kubor by-election. I have further complied with the request by the police to have my statement recorded the next day at IPD Ipoh.
It has been 57 days since the police report was lodged and the IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar himself had on 15/10/2014 (36 days ago), announced that the police have recorded the statement by Ahmad Zahid and obtained a recording of his speech. However, there has been no progress reported up until today, unlike other sedition cases that involves the Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives whereby the AG Chambers have brought up charges in Court within a short period of time.
The Federal Constitution puts emphasis on equality before the law and that no one is above the law, including the Home Minister himself. Ahmad Zahid said on 20/09/2014 that the police will investigate any reports on sedition “within 24 hours”. This statement by him is already a big fat joke as there was a delay of 21 days for the police to have taken the statement from Ahmad Zahid. The fact that the police has failed to reveal any results from the investigation after such a long period of 57 days serves as a big slap to the Home Minister and the IGP.
The police and AG Chambers have acted against Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives and the academics remarkably quickly when it comes to sedition cases. The DAP Penang State Assemblyman, YB Rayer, was instructed to attend to a charge against him on 19/06/2014, a month after the alleged seditious remarks of “UMNO celaka” was made on 19/05.2014, even though the charge was subsequently postponed to a date later. PKR Member of Parliament, YB Surendran, was charged on the 28/08/2014, a mere 20 days after the alleged seditious remarks made against the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Sodomy 2.0 on 08/08/2014. Academic, Azmi Sharom was charged on 02/09/2014 for his alleged remarks made 18 days earlier on the 15/08/2014. How is it that the investigations and charges in these cases were exceptionally fast in comparison with the case involving Ahmad Zahid?
While we understand that the police may need time to retrieve evidence in certain cases, the IGP himself has confirmed that the police had obtained the copy of the recording of Ahmad Zahid’s speech at the earlier stage of investigation. Whether or not there were seditious tendencies in Zahid’s remarks is a question of fact which can be ascertained without delay. In view of that, what are the issues still pending?
I have written to the acting CPO Perak last week to further inquire for the latest status of my police report. The IGP should give a satisfactory reply on the delay in concluding the investigation in this matter.