Who's lying now?

So, are there still Malaysians in London or not? Can Anifah Aman make up his mind? In the one breath he says Malaysians have all gone back to Malaysia for the holidays and in another he says Malaysians have been advised to stay away from the affected areas.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

No Malaysians involved in London riot, says Anifah Aman

(Bernama) - No Malaysian citizens were involved in the London riot that erupted over the weekend, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.

In fact, no Malaysians were in the vicinity, he said.

"I received a report from our High Commissioner there, Datuk Zakaria Sulong, that our citizens, especially students, were on holiday.”

"Most have returned home (to Malaysia), but we have advised Malaysians in areas nearby not to go to that specific area," he told reporters after his ministry's breaking-of-fast function, here, Monday night.

A smashing and looting rampage broke out on Saturday at Tottenham in North London after a peaceful demonstration over the death of its local 29-year-old Mark Duggan, a black man, who was shot by police two days earlier.

However, Anifah said, it was still safe to travel to Britain, but he advised Malaysians to stay away from Tottenham, an area with a high unemployment rate and racial issues, for the time being.

*********************************

And how does Anifah Aman know that no Malaysians were involved in the London riots?

Well, he knows because, as he said, "I received a report from our High Commissioner there, Datuk Zakaria Sulong, that our citizens, especially students, were on holiday.”

So there you have it. Malaysian citizens, especially students, are on holiday. Therefore, no Malaysians were involved in the London riots.

But hold on. My daughter is Malaysian and she is not on holiday. She is still here in the UK attending summer class. And the entire committee of Friends of Pakatan Rakyat UK are still in London and are not on holiday. So are the Kelab PAS members. They are also still here in the UK and are not on holiday.

So who are these people Anifah Aman is talking about who are not in London and are on holiday and therefore no Malaysians were involved in the riots?

Okay, maybe Anifah Aman means the sons and daughters of the UmnoPutras. These are the people who have flown back to Malaysia for their holidays. And this is because they are the only people who can afford to fly back to Malaysia every school holiday.

Yes, that’s right, the rest of us less wealthy Malaysians stay here in the UK during the holidays. We don’t have that kind of money to afford to fly back to Malaysia every holiday, ten times a year.

Hmm…wasn’t it Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s cousin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who said today, ‘New media used to spread lies’? New Media or New Straits Times? That report came out in the New Straits Times (you can read it here).

“….but we have advised Malaysians in areas nearby not to go to that specific area," added Anifah Aman.

Ah...if there are no Malaysians in London because they have all gone back to Malaysia for the holidays, then whom are these ‘Malaysians in areas nearby’ who are being advised not to go to that specific area?

So, are there still Malaysians in London or not? Can Anifah Aman make up his mind? In the one breath he says Malaysians have all gone back to Malaysia for the holidays and in another he says Malaysians have been advised to stay away from the affected areas.

Anifah Aman ended by saying that it was still safe to travel to Britain, but he advised Malaysians to stay away from Tottenham, an area with a high unemployment rate and racial issues, for the time being.

Now that is the crux to the whole matter. One Umno Blogger, Syed Akbar Ali, has used the London riots as the reason why he opposes the Bersih rally. If rallies such as Bersih are allowed, there would be a danger it could escalate to a riot, like what happened in London.

In fact, the riots have now spread to many other parts of the UK. It is no longer confined to just London. And these riots have nothing to do with free and fair elections or human rights or freedom of religion or whatever. It is all about the frustration of the people.

Remember I wrote about this matter in my article yesterday titled ‘Upsetting the ecological balance’? Well, this can happen in Malaysia as well if we are not careful.

What we are seeing in the UK is a ‘class struggle’. It is a demonstration of the people’s frustration. And unless Malaysia addresses this issue then what we are seeing in UK today we will see in Malaysia in time to come.

Let’s imagine if the above story was about Malaysia in the year 2030.

****************************************

No Indonesians involved in Kuala Lumpur riot, says Khir Toyo

(Antara) - No Indonesian citizens were involved in the Kuala Lumpur riot that erupted over the weekend, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Khir Toyo.

In fact, no Indonesians were in the vicinity, he said.

"I received a report from our Ambassador there, Da’i Bachtiar, that our citizens, especially students, were on holiday.”

"Most have returned home (to Indonesia), but we have advised Indonesians in areas nearby not to go to that specific area," he told reporters after his ministry's breaking-of-fast function, here, Monday night.

A smashing and looting rampage broke out on Saturday in Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur after a peaceful demonstration over the death of its local 29-year-old Aramugum Pillai, an Indian, who was shot by police two days earlier.

However, Khir said, it was still safe to travel to Malaysia, but he advised Indonesians to stay away from Brickfields, an area with a high unemployment rate and racial issues, for the time being.