KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 – DAP today wondered whether Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was serious about commencing investigations into seditious remarks within 24 hours of a report being lodged, especially when it involved Umno ministers and himself. Party adviser Lim Kit Siang in a statement today said this was referring to a police report that had been lodged against the home minister yesterday in Perak for allegedly making a seditious remark during the Pengkalan Kubor by-election campaign. The report, lodged by Canning assemblyman Wong Kah Woh, said the minister’s remarks about the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis was seditious.

Wong said in his report that Zahid’s “distorted and untruthful account about the crisis” could incite racial animosity, conflict and tension. “This morning, a team of policemen from Ipoh recorded a statement from Wong,” Lim said. “Does this qualify as part of Zahid’s oath that police will commence investigations within 24 hours of a report being lodged on sedition?” Lim said he would not be surprised if Zahid had directed Ipoh police to record Wong’s statement within 24 hours of the report being lodged. “Perhaps he wants to show that he is living up to his end of the bargain with immediate police action?”

Lim said instead of going after the complainant, police should interview Zahid and record his statement. “If Zahid is serious, he should let Malaysians know that he has been interviewed by police over the statement he had made.” Lim in the statement also questioned why Putrajaya was going after de facto PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for a speech he had made three years ago. “This is the worst form of political vendetta and gross abuse of power which I have seen in the latest regime of ‘white terror’,” Lim said. “If Anwar can be probed for something he said three years ago, why authorities are not investigating former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad?”

Dr Mahathir’s said during last year’s general election that Lim wanted the Chinese in Gelang Patah to reject working together with the Malays. Lim was also accused of instigating the Chinese in Johor to “to dislike and hate the Malays” to create “conflict and antagonism between the races”. These three allegations by Mahathir were not only downright lies and false, but highly incendiary, inflammatory and seditious, Lim said. “I am not suggesting that Dr Mahathir should be jailed for these remarks, but Zahid owes Malaysian public an explanation.” “Why should Dr Mahathir be immune from police investigations but Anwar can be persecuted for what he said more than three years ago?”

Pocket News

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