Police report lodged over Felda fracas

Both Nurul Izzah and Nik Nazmi are demanding answers from Umno and Perkasa over the recent incidents of agression against PKR.

PETALING JAYA: PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar and communications director Nik Nazmi today lodged a police report over the attempted assault on the duo during last night’s fracas in a Felda settlement.

The report was lodged at the Tropicana police station during which photographic evidence of Umno supporters gatecrashing a ceramah at a coffeeshop at Felda Lepar Hilir in Paya Besar, Pahang, was provided. Two of the five pictures showed a man in a red T-shirt whom Nurul identified as her attacker.

The duo had arrived at the coffeeshop at 9.45pm last night where Felda residents had gathered to hear them speak. In the surrounding vicinity were about 10 policemen and Special Branch officers, as well as a group of Umno supporters in the neighbouring coffeeshop.

“The minute we arrived the other group blasted their music and held a karaoke session,” Nurul told a press conference at the party headquarters today.

“When Nik Nazmi began speaking they began hurling abuses at us, singing the Umno song and waving Umno flags. That’s when the tension really began rising.”

By the time it was Nurul’s turn to speak, the opposing group had swelled to 50 people and had begun moving in on them.

According to the Lembah Pantai MP, she had barely spoken for a minute before a man in a red T-shirt stormed towards her and lunged at her with his outstretched hand.

“I’m not sure whether he was trying to hit me or grab my headscarve but a PKR supporter deflected his hand just as it was inches away from my face,” Nurul recalled. “The police advised us to stop the ceramah as the situation was getting out of control.”

‘Even police intimidated’

The man was later identified by the local police as Asrullah Affendi Abdullah. Nurul and Nik Nazmi were then escorted back to their cars by the police who were also verbally abused for “supporting the opposition”.

The Umno supporters, however, surrounded their cars and only let them through after the Felda police assistance arrived.

According to Nurul, the chairman of Majlis Belia Felda Malaysia Hilir Lepar 2 was also present among the Umno supporters but it was unclear if he was involved in the attempted assault.

“Even the police were intimidated,” she said. “And when we wanted to lodge a police report that same night we were advised against it as things could get out of hand.”

Both Nurul and Nik Nazmi slammed the act of thuggery and said that it was not the first time that Umno hired or forced the youth to play a part in its threats against the opposition.

“We are seeing more such acts as we draw closer to the general election,” Nurul observed. “Last night’s incident cannot be isolated from the attack on (PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim, the break-in at PKR’s Wangsa Maju branch and the attempted break-in at (PKR disciplinary committee chairman) Tan Kee Kwong’s residence.”

Last week, Umno supporters in Sembrong, Johor, allegedly threw stones, pieces of wood and firecrackers at the car Anwar was in.

Both break-ins were suspected to have taken place over the weekend when most PKR leaders were at the party’s weekend retreat in Kuantan.

‘Khairy cannot keep silence’

“We have a right to speak to anyone and you cannot use physical violence to stop us,” Nurul asserted.

“I want to know (Prime Minister) Najib Tun Razak and (Home Minister) Hishamuddin Hussein’s stand on this incident because no one – not even Umno members or supporters – should be threatened in this manner.”

Nik Nazmi, who is also the Seri Setia assemblyman, meanwhile demanded that someone from Umno take responsibility for the incident. And the person he wants to hear from is Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

“I want to know Khairy’s stand,” he stated. “He cannot just go to London and debate (PKR strategic director) Rafizi Ramli but keep silence over this. Umno cannot just wash its hands off this.”

“I also want to hear Perkasa’s stand. They are always talking about defending the Malays so what do they have to say about Malays behaving this way?”

PKR’s branch in Paya Besar had lodged a report with the local police there and the matter is under investigation.