Anyone can be arrested at anytime, say police on the arrest of Samad Said

Police defended its decision to arrest national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said (pic) early today, saying "anyone can be arrested at anytime".

Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin Ahmad said it was up to the police to decide when to make an arrest.

"We don’t have a specific time, if we want to arrest, we will arrest,” Zainuddin told The Malaysian Insider.

“I don’t understand why we are being criticised for arresting him at midnight. This is an obstruction against us from carrying out our duties."

Zainuddin was responding to criticisms by netizens on the arrest of Samad at his house in Bangsar early today.

Pak Samad, as he is popularly known, was arrested for allegedly flying the Sang Saka Malaya flag on the eve of Merdeka celebrations at Dataran Merdeka.

Samad, who is also Bersih co-chair, is being investigated under the Sedition Act. He was released two hours later after his statement was recorded.

Bersih co-chair Datuk S. Ambiga also lashed out at the police for "unnecessary harassment" of Samad.

"How can they do this to such a respected person? What is the need to go to his house at 12.30am just to pick him up for questioning and release him two hours later?" Ambiga told news portal Malaysiakini today.

"There was no need to harass this man over such a simple matter".

The authorities, the lawyer pointed out, had made a mistake in treating Samad poorly as he was a darling of Malaysians.

"Why are they (those in power) afraid of him? Because he would not bow to their nonsense or influence?"

She also expressed her disappointment over calls to strip Samad of his national laureate title, adding that she was alarmed at “how low some people were prepared to stoop”.

"When in the name of artistic freedom, these people can praise the movie Tanda Putera but on the other hand, ill-treat a man who should be the pride of the nation," she argued.

Earlier, activists Adam Adli Abdul Halim and Hishamuddin Rais were detained for the same incident. They too, were released after their statements were taken.

Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar had asked 81-year-old Samad to turn himself in to facilitate investigations after he was alleged to have waved the Sang Saka Malaya flag near Dataran Merdeka on Friday night.

Khalid claimed that Samad “went into hiding", a claim which the latter has denied.

Ambiga urged the IGP to apologise for his statement that Samad had gone into hiding.

She noted that since the 13th general election, the country has seen many cases of abuse of power, adding that with Samad's detention, Malaysia had sunk to a new low.

"Since GE13, there has been nothing to give us cheer. Malaysians are getting more alarmed by the callousness and high-handedness of those in power," added Ambiga.