Umno sends 'Mat Rempits' to PKR HQ, no action from police

In a shocking twist of events showing how close Prime Minister Najib Razak's UMNO party may be to losing it, hundreds of UMNO Youth members on motorcycles circled the PKR headquarters in a threatening manner to protest a death threat to their chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

"UMNO is now using Mat Rempits, it is unbelievable," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

"In principle, we defend UMNO Youth's right to express their feelings but when you use roaring motor-bikes and threatening language, that is certainly not peaceful assembly. I guess it shows the shallowness of UMNO."

Threatened to harm Anwar, Ambiga

According to PKR guards, some 300 motorcyclists gathered at the PKR headquarters in Tropicana, Petaling Jaya around 10.30pm Monday night and threatened to torch their office.

They also threatened to harm Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and Bersih chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan if they carried on with the July 9 rally.

Khairy, who is now overseas, had informed Malaysia he received a death threat over the weekend. The cocooned son-in-law of former premier Abdullah Badawi was accused of Machiavellian schemings when he announced that UMNO Youth would also hold a rally and march along the same route as Bersih, but would not co-operate or join them.

This despite repeated invitations from Ambiga to join the mammoth rally organized by 62 of the country's most established NGOs. Khairy's refusal sparked accusations that Youth members might be used as agents to provoke unrest, paving the way for the federal government to launch a crackdown against political rivals and dissidents.

Khairy has denied such accusations but remains adamant that Youth will march separately from Bersih. Unlike Bersih which plans to deliver a memorandum with its 8 requested reforms to the King, Khairy has been hazy about UMNO Youth's rationale for marching. This has reinforced public perception that he was playing a devious game.

Double standards

Meanwhile, despite there being a police station just doors away from the PKR HQ, no action was taken by the authorities. The motorcyclists dispersed later but only after yelling more taunts and insults.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution has lodged a police report. He slammed the double standards of the cops in not reacting.

"Our guys are always arrested even if they are walking peacefully but when UMNO swoops in like a motor-bike gang, and they use violent language, nothing is done," Saifuddin told Malaysia Chronicle.

Meanwhile, UMNO Youth executive committee member Lokman Noor Adam has confirmed the incident, but denied they intended to burn down the HQ.

"We gave strict orders not to touch their headquarters. We are not like them,” Malaysian Insider reported Lokman as saying.

- Malaysia Chronicle