IMAGINE if non-Muslim NGOs had offered RM1,200 to SLAP NAJIB!

Imagine what the Police would have done if there is a clutch of six NGOs which held a demonstration yesterday afternoon which offered RM1,200 reward to anyone who dared to slap the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and provide photographic evidence of their action, followed by the slaughter of two chicken and the smearing of their blood on a banner featuring photographs of UMNO Ministers including the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin?

If there had been such a demonstration, the entire force of the Royal Malaysian Police led by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar himself would have landed on the 30 odd demonstrators from the six NGOs like a ton of bricks and all the demonstrators would instantly be held under lock and key, subject to rigorous investigation and swift prosecution not only for violating the Peaceful Assembly Act in not giving police the minimum of 10-day notification of an assembly, but the more heinous crimes of causing ‘hurt’ to parliamentary democracy under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 [Sosma] and a battery of other charges under the Sedition Act, Penal Code, etc. which would probably keep them behind bars for the best part of their lives.

In actual fact, the clutch of six NGOs of some 30 people would not even be able to start slaughtering any innocent chicken, for they would have been packed into the “Black Marias” before they could gather, as the police would have got wind of their intentions well in advance.

Given obvious leeway to carry out their threat

The Malaysian Special Branch is undoubtedly one of the best of its kind in the world, thanks to the British colonial legacy and the primacy it has always enjoyed in the police hierarchy with collection of intelligence to protect the present regime as the top police priority when in a truly democratic society, the top police priority should be to promote and protect parliamentary democracy and human rights.

It would be completely inconceivable that media representatives from both printed and electronic media could be informed to give full coverage to the chicken-slaughtering and blood-smearing demonstration yesterday without the police having any inkling of the event before-hand – which could call for a complete shake-up of the Special Branch and even sacking of the Special Branch director.

I have greater respects for the professionalism of the Special Branch, and this would mean that the police must have known beforehand the demonstration planned by the cluster of six NGOs which called itself the Council of Islamic NGOs, comprising Pertubuhan Permuafakatan Majlis Ayahanda Malaysia (Permas), Pertubuhan Kebajikan Islam dan Dakwah (Pekida), Pertubuhan Kebajikan Insan Bakti Malaysia (Perkib), Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM) and Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM).

Up to now, both the Police and the Barisan Nasional government have maintained a thunderous silence to the outrageous, provocative and seditious demonstration yesterday which openly incited racial and religious hatred and threatened another May 13 in the country over Teresa Kok’s “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” which critiqued the Barisan Nasional government failings and weaknesses, but which has made no reference to race and religion.

Anti-Malay, anti-Muslim?

There have been allegations that Teresa’s video is anti-Malay and anti-Islam and I have invited those who made these allegations to step into the open to show where in the video there are anti-Malay and anti-Islam references.

If the critics can show that Teresa’s video have anti-Malay and anti-Islam references, I will publicly ask Teresa to take the necessary remedial action. But up to now, there have been no takers to my proposal.

I find it most regrettable that both the new MCA President, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai and the new MCA Deputy President, Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong, like their other MCA leaders who have jumped on the Barisan Nasional bandwagon to attack Teresa’s video, are unable to show that there is anything anti-Malay or anti-Islam in the video, but they continue to egg on, even aid and abet, intemperate and extremist protests against Teresa for the video.

I think all decent and right-thinking Malaysians are entitled to ask the IGP, the Home Minister, the Prime Minister, and the UMNO and MCA leadership why the double standards if there had been a clutch of six NGOs offering RM1,200 reward to anyone to slap the Prime Minister and smearing the blood of slaughtered chicken on a banner featuring photographs of UMNO Ministers as compared to the demonstration yesterday of six NGOs offering RM1,200 reward to anyone to slap Teresa Kok and the slaughter and smearing of chicken blood on banner featuring Pakatan Rakyat leaders!

It is such double standards afflicting police and the major national institutions, when they should be non-partisan, impartial and professional which is the continuing cause of the national crisis of confidence over the lack of good governance, accountability and transparency in Malaysia.

Lim Kit Siang is the DAP adviser