Nurul Izzah claims office pelted with eggs

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — This morning just hours after opposition supporters and leaders were pelted with stones and eggs during last night’s PKR ceramah, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar found her office premises littered with broken eggshells.

Angered, the PKR vice-president alleged today that the “thuggery” was likely “done under instruction” from Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, whom she said were determined to instil fear among opposition supporters ahead of the coming polls.

Nurul Izzah alleged today that the “thuggery” was likely “done under instruction” from BN leaders. — file pic

“We certainly feel that because there is no condemnation from the prime minister and the Federal Territories minister, this alludes to the fact that all these acts were likely done under instruction,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

Nurul Izzah said the party would likely lodge a report on this morning’s egg attack on her office premises as well as last night’s ceramah, but pointed out that this would merely add to the increasing pile of reports already lodged on previous incidents.

She lamented that she and her staff members have been victims of harassment on a daily basis and said that the failure of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to speak out against the violence only served to “egg on” the perpetrators.

“We expect more violence to occur. But it is sickening and I am speechless. I hope the PM will respond immediately.

“This escalation of violence and the use of thuggery (sic) in politics, clearly spells out Umno’s plan to create a culture of fear... to prepare the climate for the upcoming general election,” she said.

Last night, PKR’s ceramah featuring de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and daughter Nurul Izzah in Lembah Pantai turned ugly when the crowd in attendance and party leaders were pelted with stones and eggs.

Tensions were already running high before the event began last night, as the scheduled PKR function was located a mere 100 metres away from another ceramah — one organised by Umno.

Some 100 Lembah Pantai Umno youth members were earlier seen blocking the main road leading to the PKR ceramah venue, carrying banners which read “Anwar causes violence in this country.”

PKR’s ceramah had an unceremonious start as guest speakers tried to speak as loudly as they could to compete with the Umno ceramah nearby.

Chaos occurred when Nurul Izzah was about to speak — the wiring to the sound and lights system was cut, delaying the Lembah Pantai MP’s speech by a good 15 minutes.

Shortly after she spoke, Anwar arrived and that was when the stone- and egg-pelting commenced.

The night saw one major casualty where a senior citizen suffered injuries to the head after being hit with a stone.

This marks the third time a PR function has been disrupted after similar incidents in Merlimau and Malacca last weekend.