EVIL PLOT TO ENDANGER DR M’S LIFE? NAJIB’S MEN GO INTO DAMAGE CONTROL, INSIST NO CONSPIRACY TO PUT DR M AT RISK

PETALING JAYA – The ruckus at Sunday’s Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum featuring Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed should not be politicised, said Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak (pic).

The Communications and Multimedia Minister added that the incident should serve as a lesson to everyone and there was no need to point the finger at any party.

He said that Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin was “on point” when the latter condemned the violence and called for the police to take action against those responsible.

“His (Khairy’s) reaction goes beyond political boundaries. This is the kind of response that I hope will come from other parties, but it is unfortunate that they prefer to politicise everything,” said Salleh in a statement on Monday.

He was responding to Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali who had reportedly accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak of resorting to gangsterism to silence Dr Mahathir, while Pribumi youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman claimed there were elements of sabotage.

Salleh said the incident should not have happened in the first place as it was not healthy for the country.

“Even if you’re anxious about the polls, wait for the right time. It will not take more than a year,” he said.

Sunday’s forum descended into chaos when slippers, a shoe, bottles and a chair were thrown and two flares were flung into the crowd at Dewan Raja Muda Musa hall where the forum was being held.

The session with the Pakatan Harapan chairman had to be halted abruptly after about 90 minutes when the former prime minister was answering a question on the 1985 Kampung Memali tragedy in Baling, Kedah.

Shah Alam OCPD Asst Comm Shafien Mamat confirmed that three men — aged 17, 18 and 19 — have been arrested over the incident.

Salleh said that moving forward, lessons should be learnt from the incident.

“First, ensure that safety is a priority when organising any programme. Second, the programme must adhere to the law.

“Third, advice from the security team must be heeded and fourth, gangster politics is not our culture,” he said.

Also on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged members of the public to allow police to complete their investigations, and said stern action would be taken against those found responsible.

– ANN