Hishammuddin a coward, says DAP supremo

Imagine a Home Minister who does not know what his top Special Branch officer had been doing in public talks for some two years, says Lim Kit Siang.

KOTA KINABALU: DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang has taken Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to task for his stance over a top Special Branch officer’s allegations that Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists and communists are infiltrating PAS and DAP respectively to stand as candidates in the next general election.

“It is the most cowardly, craven and irresponsible response from Hishammuddin Hussein who is proving to be the lousiest Home Minister in the nation’s history.

“How can a responsible Home Minister claim ignorance when a top Special Branch officer could go public to make the most damning allegations against federal opposition parties as claiming that JI terrorists and communists are infiltrating PAS and DAP respectively to stand as candidates in the next general election, when there is no basis whatsoever?” he refuted.

Speaking at the Pakatan Rakyat dinner held in Inanam on Friday, Lim regretted that all that Hishammuddin has got to say on the serious allegations by Special Branch’s assistant director of the E2 (M) national social extremist threat division head Mohd Sofian Md Makin, was that he was “not sure” about the alleged infiltration of Islamist terrorists and communists into Pakatan Rakyat.

Hishammuddin was quoted for saying: “I don’t have the relevant information at the present moment. Therefore, I cannot say whether it is true or not. I can only say this much, this topic is very sensitive.”

Lim asked if this would be Hishammuddin’s response if Sofian had publicly alleged that terrorists and communists have infiltrated into Umno, MCA, Gerakan, MIC, and the BN Sabah and Sarawak parties to stand as candidates  in the next general election?

“Of course not!” he exclaimed.

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He contended that a responsible and diligent Home Minister would have been informed or his approval sought before a top Special Branch officer go off on a rampage against the federal opposition, and that he would be completely clueless what Sofian was saying.

He thus questioned whether Sofian has acted unilaterally and arbitrarily without getting clearance from the Inspector-General of Police and the Home Minister to make the “political attacks” on the Pakatan Rakyat?

“If so, Sofian had not only committed a gross breach of civil service discipline, he is guilty of an anti-national act and should be suspended immediately from his Special Branch position before he could do more mischief!

“No sane or sensible person would believe that Sofian was acting independently on his own bat, like an unguided missile,” he said.

He said this was confirmed when Sofian told the press that he had given some 300 talks exposing the security risks represented by Pakatan Rakayat parties which he accused of being ” anti-government”.

“This would mean Sofian had been poisoning and brainwashing the minds particularly of the students and the young generation of Malaysians with his lies, falsehoods and ridiculous conspiracy theories for may be two years assuming he gives a talk an average if once in three days,” said Lim.

He quipped that Sofian is the arch-typical example of a “national social extremist threat” his division is supposed to be monitoring.

“Imagine a Home Minister who does not know what his top Special Branch officer had been doing in public talks for some two years?

“Is Hishammuddin admitting he is the lousiest Home Minister in the nation’s 54-year history?” he asked.