The Permatang Pauh PKR division has blamed "government protocol" for journalists being prevented from asking its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim questions during the party's Hari Raya Open House in Guar Perahu, Penang recently.
Permatang Pauh PKR division chief Amir Ghazali said the arrangements for the PKR leader and his wife, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, were now different compared to the time they were in the opposition bloc.
"As a government administrator now and visiting Permatang Pauh for the first time, there needs to be some protocol or the DPM which we had never experienced before," said Amir, in a statement issued on his Facebook page.
"I, on behalf of the Permatang Pauh division and the security unit for the constituency, take full responsibility for the misunderstanding and incident which should not have happened to all media practitioners who were present at the time," he said.
"We will ensure the incident will not happen again in the future," Amir stressed.
Amir said his message was directed to all journalists who felt they were "chased away" over the incident and as expressed by a Malaysiakini journalist in her Facebook post and in a commentary published by the portal today.
Many reporters have come out in support of the journalist while hardcore Pakatan Harapan supporters have rapped her for "disturbing" the couple during Raya celebrations by asking questions on national affairs.
Reporters barred
On Sunday, the PKR couple's presence in Permatang Pauh - the second since Anwar was released from prison after a royal pardon and since Azizah was sworn-in as DPM on May 21, was heavily guarded by bodyguards who shoved and barred reporters from approaching the couple close enough to pose questions.
Eventually, Anwar relented and responded to one query asked by a Malaysiakini journalist which touched on former premier Najib Abdul Razak's remark that since a new government has been formed after the May 9 polls, everyone should "forgive and forget" in the spirit of the Aidilfitri festive season.
However, no further questions were further allowed as the team of bodyguards aggressively blocked the journalists and whisked the couple away.
Reporters' hopes of asking further questions were dashed when a press conference which was supposed to be held at 10.30pm that night was cancelled as Wan Azizah had a scheduled press event the next day in Putrajaya. - Mkini
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