July 9 rally: No easy walk for Bersih, Perkasa

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has warned both groups they will face the music if they threaten national security.

KUALA LUMPUR: Both Perkasa and Bersih will face the long arm of the law when they take to the streets on July 9.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein warned that the police would act against both groups if their actions during the rally affected national security.

“I should hope so,” he told reporters after he was asked about possible action against Malay supremacist group Perkasa.

“If they are a threat to the safety of the country… then we will act… it doesn’t matter if you are pro or anti.”

Hishammuddin also said that the police would only take pre-emptive action against both groups if they threatened national security.

Election coalition group Bersih declared that it would gather on the streets of Kuala Lumpur on July 9 in a Walk for Democracy to demand better election practices.

This prompted Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali to warn Bersih that he would launch a counter-demonstration of his own.

Hishammuddin said that the police were monitoring the situation, and that about 260 police reports have been made against the Bersih protests.

He also hoped that police would act professionally when the rally takes place.

“I will ask them to do their tasks professionally, according to the law and in reference to national security,” he said.

Joined by various NGOs and political parties, Bersih leaders expect to see more than 100,000 take to the city streets on that day.

Singapore nude squats

On the Singaporean nude squats, Hishammuddin said that an inquiry into the matter was under way.

Promising to get to the bottom of the issue, he said that the inquiry would not only involve Immigration authorities, but also third parties such as the police.

However, he was evasive on how long the inquiry would take.

“Let’s wait until the inquiry comes out. What is important is that we want to get to the bottom of this,” he said.

According to a report by the Singapore Straits Times, two Singaporean women in Johor Baru were interrogated by Immigration officers before being thrown behind bars.

The duo were then allegedly stripped of their clothes, and were forced to perform nude squats.

They have since returned to Singapore, and have vowed never to pay Malaysia another visit.

Hishammuddin said that the incident was not a common occurrence.

He also disputed the view that the event took place at the Malaysian Immigration counters, saying that the incident happened at the detention depot.

He added that the investigation would take into account the Immigration’s standard operating procedure (SOP).

“I’m sure the authorities will be looking at the SOP… what can and cannot be done,” Hishammuddin said.

“But I would not pre-empt on what the inquiry is going to say.”