Musa Hitam agrees to RCI on Memali, but wants it after polls

Former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam has no reservations about a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) being formed on the Memali incident, which claimed 18 lives.

However, he said the RCI should be established after the next general election to prevent it from being abused by politicians for their interests.

The former deputy premier also stated that there was no need to rush the RCI.

"...It is wiser and will serve its (RCI) purpose better to form and have the proceedings until after the GE14.

"There is also a need to choose an appropriate time to form (the RCI) and hold the proceedings to ensure that the establishment will serve its purpose rather than fulfil short-term political agendas of certain quarters.

"To me, there is nothing wrong with the formation so long as it is done with the right intention which is to seek the truth and justice without prejudice and that everything is done in accordance with the constitution and the nation's law," he added in a media statement.

Musa said those who were sincere in wanting to know the background of the Memali incident would agree that the RCI be formed after the general election.

Furthermore, he added that postponing the RCI should not be an issue since the incident occurred more than three decades ago, and no action had been taken apart from a White Paper presented and debated in Parliament.

The spotlight fell on the Memali incident following the fracas at the recent Nothing to Hide 2 forum in Shah Alam.

A riot had erupted as former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad was answering a question on Memali, leading to flares, chairs and slippers being thrown.

Mahathir blamed the incident on supporters of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, but Umno and PAS claim that tempers flared due to the former premier 's unsatisfactory response on Memali.

The November 1985 incident in Kedah occurred when Mahathir was prime minister and Musa his deputy.

Early this month, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, addressing an Umno meeting in Kedah, claimed that Mahathir - whom he referred to as “that person” - attempted to shift the blame for Memali to Musa.

Zahid also cited Musa's biography in which the former deputy prime minister said Mahathir was in the country when the incident occurred unlike what the former premier had claimed.

“That person (Mahathir) was in Malaysia but put the blame on Musa, and Musa was made a scapegoat by that person,” he said. - Mkini