Police look foolish probing minister after Cabinet clears him, says Kit Siang

Published: 5 February 2015 11:31 AM

The police have been made to look foolish for investigating Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob over a racist statement he made as the Cabinet has already cleared the minister of any wrongdoing, the DAP said today.

The party's parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang was referring to police hauling up Ismail over his call for a boycott of Chinese businesses after a statement by the Prime Minister's Department, which defended the minister.

"After the Cabinet meeting, the police today called up Ismail Sabri for investigation over his racist call on his Facebook to Malay consumers to boycott Chinese business, which prompted my tweet: 'Sheer rigmarole when PMO has cleared Ismail Sabri'," the Gelang Patah MP said in Sarikei last night.

"This has only made the police, the overwhelming majority of whom are dedicated and professional officers, committed to the duty to maintain peace and uphold law and order, look very foolish."

Lim also noted that the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar's Twitter had been "strangely quiet" after Ismail's statement went viral although he was quick to take to the social networking site to direct his men to investigate non-Barisan Nasional politicians or civil society members.

"I had occasion to ask Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar whether his Twitter account had broken down or whether Bukit Aman had suffered a breakdown of Internet access, as he had been strangely quiet for several hours on his account.

"It was a few hours after my tweet that Khalid took to the Twitter to say Ismail would be investigated, but all this was only for show, full of light and thunder but meaning nothing," he added.

In a strongly-worded speech, Lim also fired at the Cabinet for coming to Ismail's defence, saying that all 35 ministers have been shown to have "comprehension" problems worse than ordinary school children, who are already several years behind their peers in other countries, as shown in international assessment tests.

"It is fortunate that the 35 Cabinet ministers did not represent the country in these Pisa and TIMSS tests or Malaysia would be 10 or even more years behind other countries," he said, referring to the Programme for International Student Assessment and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study respectively.

"This is because even the average school children would not have made the colossal error committed by the 35 ministers in concluding that the call by Ismail Sabri to Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses was not targeting Chinese traders alone but aimed at all traders."

Ismail, the Bera MP, courted controversy after he wrote in a Facebook post that Malay consumers had a role in helping Putrajaya fight profiteers by using their collective power to lower the price of goods.

"The majority of consumers are Malay, Chinese are a minority, if the Malays boycott their businesses, they will surely have no choice but to reduce their prices," the agriculture and agro-based industries minister wrote on his Facebook page.

He also singled out the OldTown White Coffee chain owned by OldTown Bhd, saying DAP MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham owned shares in the company.

"As long as the Malays don't change, the Chinese will take the opportunity to oppress the Malays," said Ismail.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Department yesterday, following a Cabinet meeting, defended Ismail, saying the minister had not targeted any specific race with his social media post.

Instead, it was "meant to rebuke traders who refuse to lower the price of goods" despite the drop in fuel prices," the statement said.

"The Cabinet meeting is the most disgraceful in the nation's history as the Cabinet ministers just fell short of former Umno youth leaders who gathered yesterday with the 'I am Ismail Sabri' placard endorsement," said Lim.

"It shows that the 35 ministers are incapable of taking a stand on the great rights and wrongs in the country.

"Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, gender or age will have to pass judgement on the quality and character of the 35 Cabinet members, for no Malaysian has brought more shame and disgrace to the country's international reputation and standing than the ministers themselves since the start of the new year." 

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/police-now-look-foolish-probing-minister-after-cabinet-clears-him-says-dap

Najib must not be silent on Zahid's letter to FBI

Friday, 16 January 2015, 6:34 am

Zahid must not take Malaysia as a nation of fools even if he can achieve a Cabinet of fools with Ministers obediently accepting his outrageous take about his infamous letter to the FBI

I do not believe that the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi suffers from comprehension problems that he could not understand that his letter was not merely intended to clarify that Paul Phua, the alleged gambling kingpin standing trial for illegal gambling in Las Vegas, Nevada was not a member of the 14K triad “in Malaysia”.

I do not believe that Zahid is so unsophisticated as to believe that when his infamous letter to the FBI referred to Phua as having helped the Malaysian government in “projects affecting our national security”, that “we continue to call upon him to assist us from time to time as such, we are eager for him to return to Malaysia” and that Phua’s release would impact on furthering “good international relations between our two countries, especially in the exchange of information”, these statements would be regarded by FBI as superfluous, empty and meaningless verbiage and not meant to influence FBI handling of Phua’s case.

Zahid is being very brazen and blatant in demanding that everybody act as gullible fools to accept his version that his infamous letter to the FBI was merely intended to clarify that Phua was not a member of the 14K triad “in Malaysia” and nothing more.

Zahid claimed yesterday that the Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday was “satisfied with his explanation on the matter”.

I do not believe that our Cabinet Ministers suffer from comprehension problems either or they will not have risen to their present pinnacle of political power in government.

For reasons best known to themselves, they prefer to appear to be gullible fools but this is no compliment on their political purpose and integrity that they could be cowed into obediently accepting Zahid’s outrageous explanation of his infamous letter to the FBI, knowing in their heart of hearts that Zahid was not speaking the truth.

Are there Ministers who really believe that Zahid’s infamous letter to the FBI was nothing more than clarifying that Phua was not a member of the 14K triad “in Malaysia” and are prepared to step forward and identity themselves one by one?

I doubt there will be a single Cabinet Minister who will be prepared to state openly and publicly that he or she truly believes that Zahid’s infamous letter was just to clarify that Phua was not a member of the 14K triad “in Malaysia”, although collectively they have been cowed into accepting Zahid’s claim or at least not to puncture the balloon in public that his explanation had been accepted by the Cabinet!

Zahid must not take Malaysia as a nation of fools even if he can achieve a Cabinet of fools with Ministers obediently accepting his outrageous take about his infamous letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) on behalf of Paul Phua.

Zahid made one startling revelation yesterday to justify his infamous letter to FBI, claiming that previous Home Ministers before him had also written such clarification letters.

Is this true, that previous Home Ministers had also unilaterally written to the FBI, without the knowledge of the police or the IGP at the time, contradicting police reports to the FBI, as well as without the knowledge or clearance from the Foreign Ministry?

If this was the case, then the Ministers of the past had been even more indisciplined, wild and arbitrary than the Malaysian public had ever dared to imagine.

Previous Home Ministers like Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Datuk Azmi Khalid must speak up to clear themselves and to put the record straight, and Malaysians expect no less from them.

From one Minister endorsing and vouching for the character of an alleged gambling kingpin standing trial for illegal gambling in Las Vegas, we have now the whole Malaysian Cabinet seeming to have endorsed Zahid to vouch for the character and integrity of the alleged gambling kingpin.

Is this the intention of the Malaysian Cabinet on Wednesday when, according to Zahid, it accepted Zahid’s explanation on his infamous letter to FBI?

Zahid said yesterday that the nature of the “national security projects” which Phua had helped the government cannot be revealed as they were classified under the Official Secrets Act 1972.

Has Zahid informed the Cabinet last Wednesday the nature of these “national security projects”?

If not, how could the Ministers “accept” Zahid’s explanation for his infamous letter to the FBI?

If yes, every Cabinet Minister is now not only collectively but personally responsible for Zahid’s infamous letter to the FBI.

This must also be the first time in the nation’s history where the Home Minister is using the Official Secrets Act to keep secret, not only from the public, but the police force and the Inspector-General of Police, the nature of the “national security projects” which Phua had been involved in!

What is most significant about Zahid’s press conference yesterday was that Zahid ended it abruptly before the media could ask any questions for clarification.

It is a powerful testimony that Zahid himself knew that he was defending the indefensible, and he did not want to expose himself to the multitude of questions of the waiting reporters.

Malaysia’s international reputation has been sullied enough by Zahid’s infamous letter to FBI and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak must step in to clean up the mess or he would be no different from “Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burns”.

Source: http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2015/01/16/zahid-must-not-take-malaysia-as-a-nation-of-fools-even-if-he-can-achieve-a-cabinet-of-fools-with-ministers-obediently-accepting-his-outrageous-take-about-his-infamous-letter-to-the-fbi/

Play ball or save credibility, ex-law minister Zaid tells Nancy

Published: 11 October 2014

De facto Law Minister Nancy Shukri was given the task of making unpopular statements on behalf of the government, and she did so in order to remain a minister, former cabinet member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who resigned from government on principle, said in his latest blog post.

Nancy, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, was not entirely to blame for her statement explaining why Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali was not charged for threatening to burn Malay Bibles, but she was also "playing ball", said Zaid, a former de facto law minister in the Barisan Nasional government.

"She wants to remain a minister and she is prepared to play ball, and to do what is asked of her.

"Compromising her credibility as a lawyer is not too high a price to pay. To each his own," Zaid said in his blog.

Zaid was in the cabinet under Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration but quit in September 2008 over disagreements with the administration on the use of the now-repealed Internal Security Act.

Drawing from his experience, Zaid said it was likely that the police and Attorney-General (A-G) had used Nancy to issue the statement as they were unwilling to face public ire over the case.

"Her explanation for why the government would not act against Ibrahim Ali for his call to the burn Bibles was probably not her own idea.

"Knowing a little bit about how our Cabinet works, I suspect Nancy did not prepare the statement, but was told to use it since she is the person in charge of matters of law in the Prime Minister’s Department," said Zaid.

He said police must have been aware the public expected Ibrahim to be charged with sedition or under other provisions of the Penal Code.

"The police, realising the potential public outcry over the decision not to prosecute (Ibrahim), passed the buck to the A-G. After all, under our system of government, the final decision rests with the A-G.

"But the AG is also a smart cookie. He is not a cabinet member, nor does he occupy a seat in Parliament. He doesn’t need to explain the decisions he makes. He is not accountable to anyone, other than the prime minister."

Zaid said "the smart cookies" in the government then did what they have always done: ask the de facto law minister to take the rap.

He said he had faced a similar situation when he held the same position in 2008.

"They tried the same tactic with me on the ISA arrests, the Lingam tape case and other issues in 2008, and expected me to defend the decisions made and issue their statements.

"But I stood by what I believed in; naturally, I was not able to stand for long in the post!" said Zahid, who had resigned from the Cabinet that year and was later sacked from Umno.

But, Zaid said, Nancy would never "say no" as long as she was a minister, and that she believed it was her duty to make statements that her colleagues in the ruling government told her to.

On Tuesday, Nancy had said in a written parliamentary reply that police decided not to act against Ibrahim over his call last year to burn copies of the Bible containing the word “Allah” because he was merely defending Islam.

Nancy said police concluded that his words were only directed at specific individuals, and were not a threat to the larger society.

She said this in a written parliamentary reply to Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, who had asked if Ibrahim would be charged over remarks made in 2013 and if not, why.

The use of Islam as the reason not to prosecute Ibrahim has angered Christians, civil society and other Muslims.

Global Movement of Moderates CEO Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said the government could not use Islam as an excuse not to charge Ibrahim, as his threat was not in line with the religion.

“Based on the verses of the Quran and the tradition of the Prophet, it is clear that the Minister’s argumentation does not reflect the true teachings of Islam and cannot be used to justify such statement from Datuk Ibrahim," said the former deputy higher education minister in a statement on Thursday. – October 11, 2014.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/play-ball-or-save-credibility-ex-law-minister-zaid-tells-nancy

安美嘉：包括希山总警长等‧应传召发命令者

2012-08-17 10:35

• 
  安美嘉（右2）在其他非政府组织代表陪同下，针对人权委员会428大集会听证会提呈净选盟备忘录。左起为艾薇、巴拉迪达山；右为佘贵生。（图：星洲日报）

（吉隆坡16日讯）净选盟2.0主席拿督安美嘉促请人权委员会传召428大集会当日发號施令者，包括內政部长拿督斯里希山慕丁、全国总警长丹斯里依斯迈奥马、全国副总警长丹斯里卡立阿布巴卡等，以便找出集会当天出现暴力、违反人权等事件的真相。

警方似出现两套命令

她指出，428当日警方之中似乎出现“两套命令＂，一套命令要求警员友善对待集会者，另一套命令是在催泪弹发射后，警方以暴力对待集会者。

“集会当天下午2时之前，警方对集会者非常友善，但是在2时之后，当有人衝破禁区时，警方开始暴力对待集会者。＂“警方到底收到甚么指示？

我们要知道到底是谁发出这些指示。＂她指出，净选盟也要知道当天是否有警员身穿净选盟黄衣，有甚么目的。

“我相信內政部长、全国总警长与副总警长卡立等会给予人权委员会配合。＂

吁传召Rapid KL负责人

同时，安美嘉也呼吁人权委员会传召Rapid KL负责人供证，以瞭解当天到底是谁指示关闭轻快铁服务，理由与动机是甚么？

安美嘉今午在净选盟属下的非政府组织代表陪同下，针对人权委员会428集会听证会，提呈该联盟集结有关大集会出现警方施暴、侵犯人权问题等资料与证据的备忘录后，向媒体发表谈话。

她强调人权委员会不应只传召警方或净选盟提供的证人，而是主动传召涉及者出席听证会供证，以追查到底。

吁关注多项课题

她表示，净选盟在备忘录中，提出多项课题，希望人权委员会能关注並展开调查，其中包括：
●警方滥权与暴力对待集会者与新闻从业员
●部份警员没佩戴名牌识別证
●出现身穿净选盟黄衣的警员
●干扰人权观察员
●催泪弹与水砲发射前欠缺足够的警戒
●滥发催泪弹、催泪弹发射的角度与不当
●现场出现警员死亡的谣言
●独立广场禁区栏杆被衝破的確实情况
●质疑禁区栏杆设立的地点，是否有依据庭令，当局有没有擅自扩大独立广场禁区？以及警方在警戒线被衝破后採取的行动。

陪同安美嘉提呈备忘录的非政府组织代表包括砂拉越改革运动组织主席佘贵生、大马和平公民联盟（Warga AMAN）总秘书巴拉迪达山、妇女援助中心（WAO）主席莫壮莲及执行董事艾薇。

促查散播“警员死”谣言黑手

安美嘉指出，428大集会当天现场传出有警员死亡的谣言后，相信间接导致部份警察的行为趋向暴力，净选盟希望人权委员会能查出製造与散播不负责任谣言的“幕后真凶＂和动机。

她也指责当天警方发射催泪弹的方式与角度，包括针对集会者发射催泪弹、甚至分別在街道两端向集会者发射催泪弹，而轻快铁站暂时关闭，让集会者无路可逃。

在净选盟提呈的备忘录中，除了集结许多集会者、目击者的证词、照片与录影片段截存等作为举证。

安美嘉今日也接受人权委员会录取口供与提呈证据，她在结束1小时30分钟的录供后向媒体指出，人权委员会已订在9月24日传召她在听证会供证。

另外，针对428净选盟大集会独立諮询小组主席敦韩聂夫邀请净选盟代表包括安美嘉会面，商討大集会课题，安美嘉强调净选盟已拒绝邀请。

来源：http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/258020?tid=1

IGP’s ‘yellow’ caution won’t cow Bersih

K Pragalath

 | August 10, 2012

The police chief says that the Merdeka Day celebrations should not be politicised, but A Samad Said argues that the colour yellow is not banned.

FULL REPORT

PETALING JAYA: Electoral watchdog Bersih will not be discouraged by Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar’s caution not to don yellow at the Merdeka Day countdown celebrations.

Speaking to FMT, Bersih co-chairperson and national laureate A Samad Said stressed that the colour yellow was not banned and the people had the right to wear colours of their choice.

He also said that Ismail had made the wrong assumption that Bersih was politically inclined, saying that the movement was championing free and fair elections.

“The IGP’s statement is wrong because Bersih assists politicians,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah said the police chief should not be issuing threats.

“We are not politicising the matter [Merdeka Day] celebrations,” she added.

This morning, Ismail had cautioned those planning to wear yellow on that day not to turn the celebrations into a political event.

Bersih steering committee member Wong Chin Huat, who would be attending the gathering in his individual capacity, was shocked with the IGP’s statement.

“I am shocked at the level of the IGP’s common sense. National Day is the most political day in the country. Take out politics and what do you have?” he asked.

He also queried the actions that the police would take.

“Are you going to strip those who are wearing yellow?” he asked, adding that he was prepared to be arrested for ushering the Merdeka celebrations in yellow.

Warga Aman, which was one of the participating NGOs in the event, said the Bersih yellow T-shirt was similar to a uniform.

“The Bersih shirt to us is similar to the uniforms used by the police and military during the Merdeka Day parade. It is to say that we are with Bersih,” said Warga Aman’s secretary general S Barathidasan.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/08/10/igps-yellow-caution-wont-cow-bersih/

Bersih slams Hanif’s ‘weak’ response

K Pragalath

 | July 19, 2012

The electoral watchdog takes the ex-IGP to task for terming the 'brutal' actions of policemen during the April 28 rally as merely 'unprofessional'.

PETALING JAYA: Former Inspector-General of Police Hanif Omar has failed to recognised the extent of police brutality that took place during the Bersih rally, charged the electoral watchdog.

Hanif heads the independent panel tasked with investigating the violence which erupted during the April 28 rally.

“We view the recent statements by Hanif in which he termed the allegations of police brutality as ‘unprofessional’ as a weak response in the face of numerous eyewitness accounts of violence from the authorities during the peaceful assembly,” the Bersih committee said in a statement today.

On Monday, Hanif said certain policemen did not handle the protesters in a professional manner and Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohmad Salleh had to order his officers on the ground to stop them from doing so.

“There were no specific instructions given to them, but we are currently trying to get the police to declare whether they received the three United Nations guidelines on treatment of the media and handling of crowds, among others,” Hanif was quoted as saying.

The Bersih committee said that as a former police chief, Hanif should realise that “the police surely received their instructions from those higher up; thus, the IGP and home minister are also responsible”.

The committee added that the police brutality during the rally suggested “that they acted in vengeance due to orders given to them or because they had lost control”.

It further added that IGP Ismail Omar’s remark that the standard operating procedure for police to handle media personnel would be issued “soon” failed to address the concerns of those who witnessed the perpetuation of violence against media personnel.

The committee also raised a question that remain unanswered since the rally took place.

“Who is responsible for the untold violence on participants of the peaceful assembly that occurred after the first tear gas was fired?” it asked.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/07/19/bersih-slams-hanifs-weak-response/