By Lim Kit Siang, MP for Gelang Patah
Yesterday, Malaysiakini in its report “Zahid swears to God sedition probes to go on” quoted the Home Minister, Zahid Hamidi taking an oath to God that police will commence investigations using the Sedition Act “within 24 hours” of a complaint.
In a speech at an UMNO Lumut event on Sept. 20, Zahid said: “As the minister responsible for the Royal Malaysian Police, wallahi billahi tallahi (I swear to Allah) that if police reports are lodged against any individual who impinged on a sensitive issue, the police will start investigations immediately, if possible within 24 hours.”
Zahid said although he can promise an investigation, the decision on whether or not to prosecute can only be made by the attorney-general.
I want to ask Zahid whether he can also swear to God that police will commence investigations using the Sedition Act “within 24 hours” of a complaint against UMNO Ministers and leaders, including himself?
For instance, former UMNO Minister and Selangor Barisan Nasional/UMNO Chairperson Noh Omar threatened “an uprising” at a gathering of some 500 people organised by a coalition of NGOs called Gerak Daulat in Shah Alam two days ago.
Will Zahid ensure that police will initiate investigations “within 24 hours” if a police report on sedition is lodged against Noh Omar.
Or even closer home, can Zahid undertake that police will initiate investigations “within 24 hours” if a police report on sedition is lodged against the Home Minister himself?
Zahid’s speech in the Pengakalan Kubor by-election yesterday, as reported by The Malay Mail Online “Zahid Hamidi calls Malays to defend rights, says ‘over our dead bodies’”, about what happened in Perak during the 2009 Constitutional crisis is clearly seditious in trying to incite inter-racial hatred apart from being a tissue of lies and falsehoods.
The Malay Mail Online report said:
“Zahid, who is also home minister, cited incidents surrounding the Perak constitutional crisis to back his claim that divisions among the Malays had given the predominantly Chinese opposition party the DAP space to pit the two races against each other.
“Zahid said the Perak crisis was a good example of how Malays have become so politically divided that it was willing to insult the monarchy, a symbol of Malay sovereignty.
“He suggested some Malays were willingly doing the dirty job for the Chinese by putting their lives on the line.
“’I remember during the Perak crisis, they were protesting (against the Barisan Nasional takeover) at the time, they tried to block the entrance to the state building. You know who were the ones lying down on the streets? All Malays.
“’Where were the DAP people? They were throwing stones at the Raja Muda… they also threw stones at my car. I was there. When they were doing this, those lying down on the road were all Malays,’ he said.”
I am shocked at Zahid’s most irresponsible, inflammatory and seditious speech which were based on lies and falsehoods.
Can Zahid give a public assurance that police investigations will commence against him “within 24 hours” of any police report lodged against him for committing the offence of sedition for such incendiary, inflammatory and seditious speech based on lies and falsehoods?
