‘What ambush? I was invited to Nanban’

PPP president M Kayveas claims that he was challenged to come to the Malaysia Nanban office by the vernacular daily's director.

VIDEO INSIDE

KUALA LUMPUR: The People’s Progressive Party president M Kayveas today denied that he and his party members “ambushed” the office of Malaysia Nanban, a Tamil vernacular daily, in Jalan Ipoh yesterday afternoon.

“We did not ambush the office of the newspaper. In fact, we were invited to come to the office by Malaysia Nanban director Shafee [Zaman Sikandar Batcha] because he wanted to show proof that what was written in one of their articles was indeed true,” the PPP president told FMT today.

He said the whole episode turned ugly only after Shafee became arrogant when contacted through telephone for clarification to a story, published by the vernacular daily on Feb 20, 2013.

“I was attending the PPP political bureau meeting when some members showed me the Nanban newspaper. The paper ran an article written by someone under the pen name of Anniyan. The writer alleged that the Indian community only becomes visible during elections because they come for free food and tasty mutton.

“The article also states that PPP also comes alive during the polls. The writer claimed PPP gives free food and that our members only turn up if free food is provided. This is not only demeaning to the PPP but also the Malaysian Indian community as a whole. First, the article runs down the community, then it targets PPP members.

“So I called Shafee… and he told me to come to the Malaysia Nanban office in 30 minutes so that he could prove the allegation and let us talk to the writer. So I went. Realising that I had gone to the newspaper’s office, members who were attending the political bureau meeting followed. So naturally the crowd became bigger at the Nanban office,” he said, clarifying the incident.

Kayveas and some 60 supporters converged at the newspaper office yesterday evening which resulted in one of the newspaper’s journalist suffering minor injuries after being manhandled by PPP members.

The incident was widely reported by the Tamil newspapers today.

Writer didn’t turn up

Kayveas said after he reached the Malaysian Nanban office, Shafee told him to wait for the writer of the article to arrive.

“He told me to come over. He said he had full evidence. He told me not to send anyone else but come personally. He also said I could bring my members and asked me if I was brave enough to visit Malaysia Nanban. He gave me 30 minutes.

“If I send my members or anyone else, then they will say I sent thugs. So I went. But after three hours at the Nanban office, he could not provide anything to substantiate claims made in the article. First one hour, the writer was coming from Banting. The next hour, he was coming from Klang. Then the third hour the writer was at the Sentul police station. This is what he told me during my three hours there yesterday evening.

“This is what transpired. As for the journalist who was injured, my members told me he used vulgar words asking the people [PPP members] who were there to get out. He had said that he was issued a death threat. Who would walk into someone’s office and issue a death threat? That would be stupid. That person would have been arrested by the police,” said Kayveas.

He said the police who arrived at the scene just 10 minutes after he was at the Malaysia Nanban office knew what transpired inside the building.

“When the police started negotiating with both parties, Shafee insisted that the writer was on the way. We spoke, had coffee and titbits while waiting. It was cordial. Their staff were taking photographs with me. But the end of the day Shafee could not produce evidence. So we left. But now we are accused of trying to create chaos.

“Now they have dramatised the whole incident. We will fully cooperate with the police if they want to investigate the matter. They, in fact, witnessed everything,” said the Barisan Nasional component party president.

Kayveas, who was former deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said newspaper publishers should be wary of what they publish especially at times like this, when the general election is just around the corner.

“No doubt there should be freedom of the media. But do not write things based on your whims and fancies. If you write something, make sure it’s true and you can prove it. Otherwise, you will lose credibility,” he added.

Daily must apologise

Meanwhile in Penang, PPP vice-president Loga Bala Mohan called on Malaysia Nanban to apologise to the party over the offending article.

He also demanded the vernacular newspaper apologise to the lay Indian public in general and retract its unfair criticisms against PPP.

He claimed the article insulted PPP by suggesting that the party was made of seasonal politicians who would only work during election time.

He said the newspaper also insulted the party and lay Indians by claiming that PPP knew only to offer free food to woo the community support for Barisan Nasional.

“The Nanban article suggested that we don’t do work most times and would only turned up to show face during an election.

“The criticism is unfair, baseless and nasty.

“The newspaper should retract and apologise to Indians, Kayveas and party members,” Loga, the PPP state chairman, told the press at his office here today.

Loga is upset that the Nanban article overlooked PPP’s contributions to the society, claiming that the party had been doing a lot, especially in social welfare works, for the Indian community and others in Penang and other states.

For instance, he sad PPP had helped register some 100,000 voters, including 12,000 voters in Penang, across the country over the past five years.

In Penang, he said the party had been regularly giving out scholarships, charity donation, education and business funds to help the Indian community.

He said the PPP had contributed many ideas for the Penang BN development blueprint, which would form the basis for its state manifesto in the forthcoming election.