Tensions ran high during an altercation between some 100 Pakatan Harapan supporters and about 50 officers from the local police and the Malacca City Council (MBMB) this afternoon, according to Bukit Katil MP Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin.
The PKR vice-president said the incident occurred as party members and Harapan supporters were busy setting up for a state-level Hari Raya open house to be held near the Dataran Bukit Baru in Malacca town tonight.
"The officers came and told us to take down the (party) flags.
"They also said that we were supposed to apply for the council's approval to use the area," he said when contacted.
At about 5pm, Shamsul had tweeted an apology for any inconvenience caused during the planned function as the organisers were still unable to set up any tents.
"I and the others in @Keadilan have a limit to our patience.
"Don't push it until I run amok towards MBMB this evening. Let us go down @AMKMalaysia," he said in a series of tweets.
Shamsul (photo) later told Malaysiakini he eventually resolved the incident after negotiations with a representative from the mayor's office.
"We have set up six tents but they said we can only have three. The excuse given was that we should have applied for permission to use the area," he added.
Shamsul said the organisers did not apply for permission as they were informed by sources that it has yet to be gazetted as a parking lot administered by the council.
He added that the council had rejected the organisers' application to use an adjoining area under its administration, allegedly due to the fact that it would be blocking the main access road.
"But the area is often used to hold night markets with no issues."
Further, Shamsul claimed that the organisers were turned away from using Dataran Bukit Baru as its venue, despite the private owner later giving permission for BN to hold its Hari Raya open house there tonight.
Malaysiakini has been made to understand that MBMB officers were still at the site at around 6pm.
Shamsul, however, insisted that the function will go on as planned.
On Thursday, Malacca Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Youth chief Ramlan Meon had claimed that a group of MBMB officers were among those involved in an alleged assault against him.
A video has also been uploaded on YouTube which showed a group of men clad in Bersatu T-shirts in a heated argument with MBMB enforcement officers, believed to be over unhappiness with an instruction to take down their party flags.- Mkini
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