January 08, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Umno-owned Mingguan Malaysia accused today the authorities of giving “bad and naughty boys” better treatment when the police allowed the federal opposition to hold a massive rally in front of the Court Complex here tomorrow.
In its weekend editorial today, the editors of the Malay-language broadsheet, writing under the nom-de-plume Awang Selamat questioned the use of filing complaints with the police when the force has consistently showed it gave priority to minority groups and placed public concern on the back burner.
“Di Malaysia, lebih mudah menjadi budak jahat dan nakal maka akan mendapat perhatian dan layanan baik [In Malaysia, it is easier to be bad and naughty boys so as to get attention and good treatment],” it said in its Bisik-bisik Mingguan column.
It said the police had given so many warnings against illegal public assemblies but consistently caved in when under pressure.
“Awang can understand the NGO’s and the public’s disappointment. They were earnest in voicing for peace but in the end, it was the minority group that were heard.
“Our authorities certainly give in to threats and are frequently entrapped into the opposition’s gameplay. That’s the public perception,” it said.
It charged the police for sending out mixed-signals to the public over to tomorrow’s Free Anwar Campaign 901 by allowing the PKR to hold a street demonstration in support of their de facto chief, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, 64, is charged with sodomy for the second time in his career, and will know the High Court’s verdict tomorrow. He faces up to 20 years in jail, which will effectively see the end of his political career and his chance to be prime minister.
The weekend editorial of Utusan Malaysia pointed to the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally in the capital last year where it claimed thousands of police reports had been made and were ignored.
“It seems the response of the rakyat, who are willing to sacrifice time and energy rushing to police stations, is not taken into consideration. Why get so excited to lodge police complaints when the story at the end is the same,” it said.
It added that it would be better for the police to issue a statement from the start that it was allowing assemblies so members of the public and non-governmental organizations did not have to lodge hundreds of police complaints.
The anonymous editor(s) did not give examples of the NGOs.
At the same time, the Malay daily suggested that the police had been deliberately misled by federal opposition parties, in its frontpage headline that screamed: “Polis dipermainkan? [Cops played out?]”
In today’s front page report, Mingguan accused PKR deputy president Azmin Ali of playing out the authorities who had shown an open attitude in allowing tomorrow’s rally.
It highlighted that Azmin had insisted his party would defy the police’s 10 conditions in allowing the rally.
The Gombak MP has denied the conditions had been discussed when he met the police last Friday to organise the rally.
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