Quiz ministers in ‘hate speech’ probe, cops told

Umno big shots heard Zaidi's and Mashitah's speeches, says Kit Siang.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP has challenged the police to investigate allegedly seditious statements made at the recent Umno general assembly and to record statements from all Umno ministers who were present, including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

Referring to speeches by Umno delegates Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said of Penang and Mashitah Ibrahim of Kedah, DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang in a press statement today noted that several police reports had been lodged over the alleged hate speeches.

Zaidi today denied that he had accused Penang Chinese of accumulating wealth from illegal activities. Chastising the media for “inaccurate” reporting, he said he had referred only to “some” Chinese as having “sometimes” benefited from vice.

Mashitah has yet to comment on reports that she accused a Chinese group in Kedah of burning the Quran during a prayer ritual.

Referring to Zaidi’s denial, Lim said it was “ridiculous that it has to take the Penang Umno leader three full days in the eye of a national storm to realize that he had been ‘misinterpreted.’”

But Lim reserved his most acidic remarks for Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the Home Minister appeared to have “arrogated” solely to himself the “powers of deciding whether a person has committed sedition.”

He accused Zahid of wearing with pride the label of a “hardcore” or “fundamentalist” Home Minister.

“Many Malaysians are shocked by Zahid’s war mongering performance in his winding-up speech last Saturday, for no Home Minister under six prime ministers in the past 57 years had misbehaved like Zahid,” he said.

“Zahid’s war mongering performance might befit his position as Umno vice president, but it was clearly inappropriate for a Home Minister of the country as he must be reminded that he is Home Minister not just for Umno to look after Umno interests, but to safeguard the security of 30 million Malaysians, including 53% of the electorate who did not vote for Barisan Nasional and Umno in the 13th general election.”

He asked whether the police were waiting for Zahid’s green light before commencing with investigations into Zaidi’s and Mashitah’s speeches.

“In fact,” he said, “the police should be taking statements not only from Zahid, but also from Najib, Muhyiddin, Hishammuddin, Shafie Apdal and all the Umno ministers and leaders as they were witnesses” to the allegedly incendiary speeches.

“Or is there an implicit directive that the police should not conduct any serious investigations into the two Umno delegates’ speeches?” he asked.