Raid on PKR headquarters gross abuse of power, says Azmin

Police raided was the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya yesterday over the #KitaLawan rally held on March 28. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, March 30, 2015.

The police raid on the PKR headquarters yesterday was totally unwarranted and a gross abuse of power, Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali said today.

Azmin, who is also the party's deputy president, said it was also unconstitutional and an attack on the opposition as a whole.

"We hold the inspector-general of police and home minister responsible for this barbaric display of power and demand they put an immediate stop to the harassment and high-handed police action," Azmin said in a statement today.

Police searched the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya yesterday afternoon and seized four computers, one circular and one media statement, both dated March 23.

The raid was over the #KitaLawan rally held on March 28, in particular over a statement PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli had issued calling for full turnout at the rally in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Police had brought Rafizi, in handcuffs, to the party headquarters yesterday. He was accompanied by lawyer Manivannan Gowin.

Rafizi had allowed police to break down the door to his office as none of the staff present had the keys.

The Pandan MP is under a three-day remand order after being arrested on Friday afternoon ahead of the rally the next day.

Azmin said the arrest of opposition leaders and non-governmental organisation activists, as well as "relentless efforts to have them remanded for no apparent reason" was a blatant and shameless attempt to disrupt legitimate political activity.

Azmin said these done to make Malaysia a "one-party state".

"Many of those arrested and detained are also lawmakers who are duty-bound by their oaths of office as elected representatives to serve the rakyat.

"Not only is #KitaLawan a legitimate form of protest allowed under our constitution but to attempt to stop such activity is to wilfully prevent these leaders from performing their duties," Azmin said.

He also condemned the arrests of PAS leaders, deputy president Mohamed Sabu and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, saying the manner in which police took them was uncalled for and a form of intimidation.

Mohamed was arrested in Penang late Friday night, while Khalid was taken from his home in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, after he had led a group of marches in the rally the day before.

Eleven people were arrested and are under investigation after the first #KitaLawan rally on March 7.

Another 10 were arrested in the 48 hours before the last rally on Saturday.

After the rally, police detained PKR organising secretary Fariz Musa, Khalid and two university undergraduates. Khalid and the students have been released after police failed to secure remand orders.

- TMI