Lokman denies 'raze PKR HQ' threats

Umno Youth has denied that the wing threatened to torch PKR's headquarters in Petaling Jaya during their noisy demonstrationlate last night.
Its exco member Lokman Noor Adam denied that he ever made such a threat.

He explained today that he was informed that one of the Umno Youth members had said, "If PKR continues with the (Bersih) rally on July 9, we will see to it that this PKR office is no longer here."

Lokman (left) told Malaysiakini, “I did not hear this myself... I was informed about it.

“This does not mean we want to burn the building down.

“If we wanted, we could just buy off the building (that PKR is occupying),” he said, adding that PKR already had problems with the landlord of their premises, whom he claimed “no longer trusted Anwar Ibrahim”.

PKR said last night that about 300 people who appeared to be Umno Youth members showed up at the opposition party's headquarters in Petaling Jaya to demand that PKR withdraws its support of Bersih 2.0's 'Walk for democracy' mega rally in Kuala Lumpur.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution claimed he has recordings of Lokman addressing the crowd.

"He said that he wants to burn down the PKR HQ. He can deny it all he wants, but we have the recording," said Saifuddin.

PKR Youth deputy information chief Rozan Azen Mat Rasip lodged a police report at the Tropicana police station, just a few doors down the road from the HQ, at about 11.40pm last night, almost immediately after the crowd had dispersed.

'We are civilised'

When contacted, Lokman said the Umno Youth protest at the PKR HQ was meant only to send a signal that they were not intimidated by the Bersih rally.

“We did not say we want to destroy the PKR office. As civilised people, we do not do such things,” he said.

Lokman claimed he had recordings of the gathering to prove that Saifuddin's claims was false.

“I feel sad that someone like Saifuddin lacks integrity, what more other PKR leaders,” he said, calling the PKR sec-gen's claims a “silly joke”.

After all, he said, they were only at the office for a brief period.

“Even before the police had asked us to disperse, and we had already left,” said Lokman, who was former PKR Youth exco under Ezam Mohd Noor, who had also quit PKR. - Malaysiakini