The Umno members and supporters who disrupted a cartoon exhibition by cartoonist Zulfiklee Anwar Ulhaque (Zunar) in Komtar today have lodged a police report against him and the Penang government.
State Penang Umno chief Rafizal Abdul Rahim said the group lodged a police report at the Northeast District police headquarters on Jalan Pattani at 4.19pm.
If the exhibition continues, Rafizal said, he and his group would use force to make Zunar end his programme in Penang.
He said the report was lodged against Zunar and the Penang government for allowing an exhibition that is “rude, insulting, slanderous and filled with lies” about Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
“We have discussed with Zunar (at Komtar) and forced him to take down all the artwork. We told him not to put them up again until Sunday,” Rafizal told reporters outside the police HQ.
“We from state Umno Youth wing will be monitoring the situation to see if he puts up the artworks again,” Rafizal warned.
“If he does it again, we will not hesitate to return to the location to demand that he takes down the artworks. We will do it, whether in a nice manner or by force,” Rafizal threatened.
'Artworks an insult to Najib'
Rafizal said most of the artworks were an “insult” to Najib, who is their president and BN chief.
On Penang government allowing the exhibition to take place at Komtar, Rafizal said: “They like it when an outsider has such an exhibition.
“That is why Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng officiated and launched the exhibition at noon.”
Zunar took down his artworks after the attack. Two of the pieces were damaged after being kicked down by the rowdy group.
The Umno members shouted obscenities at Zunar, and words such as “haram jadah” (bastard) were heard during the commotion which started about 3pm on Komtar’s third floor.
Zunar also plans to launch his book, 'Wasabi', in Penang on Sunday, and is supposed to move the Komtar exhibition - which was scheduled to be held in Komtar until Dec 2 - to the Speakers Square at the Esplanade on Dec 3.
The police report was lodged by Umno supporter Mohd Norhiesam Ismail, who is from Simpang Ampat, Penang.
In his report, Norhiesam urged the police to investigate Zunar and the Penang government.
“The artworks are filled with insults, slander and lies about our prime minister.
“We hope that stern action will be taken against the organisers of the exhibition,” Norhiesam added.
Zunar’s artworks on display centred on the issue of the 'Malaysian Official 1' (MO1).
A cabinet minister has confirmed that Najib is the elusive MO1 cited in the US civil suit against three individuals alleged to have been involved in the laundering of 1MDB funds.
Najib has denied any abuse of 1MDB funds, while attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had cleared him of any wrongdoing related to mismanagement of funds in 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion donation in the prime minister’s private bank accounts.- Mkini
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