The police should immediately arrest Mohd Ali Baharom, better known as Ali Tinju, for publicly issuing what many rightly interpret as a death threat against Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah.
Ali, the leader of extremist group Gerakan Merah, yesterday threatened her life by saying the Bersih leader “tidak akan berjalan di atas bumi”, which roughly translates to “may no longer walk this earth”. His comments were reported in news portal Free Malaysia Today.
In any other jurisdiction that abides by the rule of law, Ali would now be behind bars, charged with issuing a death threat, endangering the life of an individual, inciting others to inflict grievous bodily harm or worse, and denied bail.
In a court of law that actually administers justice, Ali would be sentenced to a prison term on the strength of his own words, which were published as news on the Internet, to be seen by all, including Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.
The police should act without further hesitation because Ali now believes he can wilfully threaten death with impunity. He has reportedly said he will “ambush Chin, maybe at her house... anywhere”.
The former soldier has already fallen foul of the Malaysia Armed Forces Veteran Association (PVATM), which said last December that it will not hesitate to impose disciplinary action against Ali if he continues to tarnish the image of the association.
PVATM, which has 160,000 members, told national news agency Bernama that Ali’s acts had flouted the group’s constitution.
Ali Tinju claims to stand for Malay rights, and nothing could be further from the truth in the eyes of the majority of Malaysians, including Malays.
'This is not the Islamic way'
No right-thinking and fair Malaysian would agree with his views and actions. Many have publicly said he is a disgrace to the community, and any keen observer sees him clearly for what he is - a political stooge.
Ali, who now wags his tail even before his masters blow the whistle, has also threatened to shake that tail in another “bum protest” (photo) at the home of Maria Chin.
On behalf of all Malaysian women, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim should demand immediate action by the police, and a strong message from her colleagues in the cabinet that actions such as Ali’s shall be punished with the full force of the law.
Leaders who proclaim to stand by Islamic values and tenets should also publicly decry Ali, himself a Muslim, and call for his arrest.
A death threat is wrong by the standards of any religion, and it should be made very clear to followers of the Islamic faith that this is not the Islamic way.
Waiting for the Bersih chair to make a report would be akin to putting the onus on the victim to bring a repeat perpetrator to justice.
The police must act on their own initiative, and act now, before Ali’s public threats come to pass.
As Maria Chin said in reference to the forthcoming Bersih 5 national tour, not acting “is not an option” for the police.
WILLIAM DE CRUZ is a former president of Global Bersih. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.