DAP MP questions lack of security at Bersatu dinner

A DAP lawmaker has questioned the alleged absence of security personnel at a Bersatu dinner on Friday night, which eventually saw Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman forced to jump a fence and flee a large group of gatecrashers.

Klang MP Charles Santiago (photo) said despite the reported arrests of two individuals, there were bigger questions which should be answered by the police.

"Where was his security? Who heads his security protocol and why was Syed Saddiq forced to run, fearing for his life?

"And more importantly, where were the police?" Charles said in a statement.

"It’s great to know that they have nabbed two people believed to be responsible for the intimidation. But that’s not enough," he stressed.

Charles further questioned whether the incident, which Syed Saddiq reportedly said involved a group of about 200 people, was indicative of bigger problems where police have allegedly failed to protect a minister.

"So, arresting those who are behind this incident simply doesn’t cut it.

"The police must thoroughly investigate the mastermind who meticulously planned this harassment, which may have gone completely wrong had the minister not escaped," he said in urging Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador to reveal the outcome of the probe.

Syed Saddiq - who is Bersatu youth chief - and his parents had attended a gathering at a restaurant at Ulu Tiram together with members from Bersatu's youth, women and division wings as well as their families.

In videos of the alleged incident circulating online, the group could be heard yelling for the Muar MP to leave the state.

Syed Saddiq later raised his personal suspicions over the group's purported links with Umno, a claim denied by Umno leaders including its youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. - Mkini