By Syed Jaymal Zahiid
The Malaysian Insider
Mar 26, 2013
PETALING JAYA, March 26 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s recent remarks that he expects more disruption of opposition events soon is tantamount to endorsing political violence, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders alleged today.
The federal opposition coalition said that since the home minister had failed to give his assurance that the authorities will do its bit to protect them, PR is bracing for more political violence prior to and during Election 2013.
“The politics of slander and violence is definitely on the rise and we the leadership of PR is bracing for this,” Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told reporters after chairing the pact’s leaders council meeting at PKR’s headquarters here.
Anwar, the de facto leader of PR’s anchor party PKR, said the anticipation comes amid the pact’s preparation to launch its polls campaign nationwide.
Speaking at the same press conference, DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang blasted Hishammuddin’s statement as unbecoming of a minister tasked to protect internal security.
“This will make it the dirtiest elections. This trend must be checked and stopped. We are becoming the laughing stock of the world,” Lim said.
The Ipoh Timur lawmaker added that Hishammuddin had also indirectly supported violence against the opposition by inciting hatred among government supporters in his speech on Sunday.
Party workers had shouted “Kill Tian Chua” when the Umno vice-president urged them to rally behind Barisan Nasional (BN) and “eliminate traitors” like PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang, better known as Tian Chua, whose allies in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have been accused of instigating the Sulu invasion of Sabah.
Hishammuddin admitted yesterday that political violence in the country was worsening, but accused PR of exploiting the situation to sow hatred for the government and the police.
He also noted that more incidents of violence might occur during the campaign period of Election 2013, which is expected to be held in weeks, due to the shortage of policemen.
His statement drew flak from poll reform group Bersih 2.0 who urged the minister to censure Umno supporters for the threat or risk being blacklisted by polls watchdog Bersih 2.0 for condoning political violence.
PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu echoed Lim’s view that Hishammuddin as a minister should adopt a non-partisan stand against political violence.
“But instead he said we should expect more violence,” he said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, along with leaders from BN component parties, signed Transparency International-Malaysia’s Election Integrity Pledge last month in a move they claimed displayed their seriousness in playing fair in the upcoming polls.
But Najib and his coalition have come under heavy fire for their muted response to several violent attacks on the opposition, allegedly perpetrated by BN supporters or members of hardline groups linked to Umno, the ruling coalition’s Malay lynchpin.
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s tour in Johor was attacked with nails and stones last September.
At another incident in Pahang last month, Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah, was almost physically assaulted by Umno supporters. Although her supporters managed to prevent it, the PKR vice-president continued to be verbally abused.
On March 12, suspected Umno members were again implicated in a violent attack on the opposition, including a threat to torch PKR’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya just days after the party’s leadership alleged assault by BN supporters in Malacca.
Members from right-wing groups pelted rocks, sticks and traffic cones on the PKR building. A few torched the party’s flag. The incident took place under police observation. No action, however, was taken.
Yes, the Minister for Home Affairs is very irresponsible. He is endorsing violence and street disorder. So sad.
It is quite obvious that they are fighting for survival and anything and everything goes for them. I hope that ALL the young people and ALL the kampong folks can see that. This government no longer knows right from wrong.
We must change the tenant at Putrajaya. GE 13 is coming soon, very soon. He cannot run and hide forever. Let us work doubly hard on this final stretch. Get all to vote. EVERY VOTE COUNTS. First to GE 13, then to Putrajaya.
Change we must. Change we can. Change we shall.
I would like to remind everyone that Kerimuddin NEVER EVEN admitted any wrong for his keris-waving fiasco although he did give an explanation when meeting with his component party-mates.
The real lesson is this – UMNO/BN don’t learn if you don’t hold them to it. THEY HAVE TO BE PUNISHED for what they have done wrong. THAT UMNO/BN HAS DONE SOME GOOD IS IRRELEVANT..What they have done wrong MUST be given THE FULL MEASURE of JUSTICE. It cannot be brushed over, covered up and glossed over..BECAUSE THEY KEEP REPEATING THEM UNTIL THEY ARE FULLY STOPPED..
Hisham is not a Home Minister. He does not have the calibre of a Home Minister – that is why Daim keeps shouting “axe deadwood” lest it affects Umno’s chances in future general elections. Hisham is only a politician trying to take revenge on the Opposition.
The country has to pay a heavy price for nepotism in high office.
That is not a Home Minister.
That is a Umno b gangster.
no other choice , Pakatan states Penang, Kelantan , Kedah and Selangor must dissolve state assembly this week , have an election earlier than Fed GE
But he is a toothless gangster..no guts to lead the gang…using others to do the dirty work.
Meanwhile…sex movies is on again and again and again.
This Umno B party is totally different from the original.
They have no principles..no dignity.
It is unbelievable – when Opposition’s campaign tour bus splashed with paint, the roads on which it passed, strewn with nails with a stone thrown at it, the one in charge of law or order could take no action against perpetrators supportive of the ruling party/coalition and even say that the opposition (victim) should be blamed for the political violence (expected to increase) and that there’s no guarantee for Opposition leader of safety in its nationwide election. This sounds not like Malaysia as we know but more like we’re having a Zimbabwe’s, Kenyan or Nigerian election! It is an indication that not only the ruling politicians but the many of their supporters are worried of the high stakes and uncertainty of the electoral outcome so that some of these supporters resort to violent (criminal) acts to terrorize, destroy, and try break the will and morale of the opposing political rivals and their campaign reach.
The tactic that BN has used is simply if BN lost there will be chaos. MCA is the staunch supporter on this theory. CSL know many Chinese are scare chaos. So this tactic is useful to scare off those mainly Chinese. But thing have change. People are more inform now than 50 years ago. The scare tactic will not work this time round. BN must fight with good policy to win back people supports. There is absolutely unnecessary to promote violent to scare the people.
BN must be realistic. They have to go if they find making real changes is impossible among themselves.
The lembuddin part him is now playing up.
Only BN/UMNO suckers use bunch of dirty cheats and means to win elections and hold on to the powers…
ahli umno jadi menteri dalam negeri. bawah portfolio dia ada polis. dia jaga buntut polis, polis jaga jubur dia masing-masing ada orang jaga punggung…sebab tu masing-masing berlagak…
Talking about traitors, know who is the greatest one in this country?
One who led this country for more than two decades?
One who, although a pseudo Malay, seems to be more Malay than any other Malay?
Why no action is taken against such traitors and their ilk?
By what stretch of the imagination can such scums force Malaysians to let them prolong their grip on power?
To let them scam and scandalise the country?
The only way to stop such criminals is to make crimes a non-paying proposition!!!!
Hisham knows that he will no longer be a minister if Umno/BN gets the stick this GE.So he is resorting to violence to help his sickly party retain power.In other words Hisham is playing with fire and is going for broke as he and his Umno has nothing to lose.
Mahathiir Umno b fooling days are over.
Mamak could fool Malaysians for 22 years ….simply because Malaysians have no choice…and acted like fools…while he ruled as a Dictator….talk too much..ISA applied.
What is Najib…and all the hypocrites Ministers are what Mahathir was…and they can never change.
It’s too deeply committed to corruptions.
This is very typical of UMNO people. When they feel their hold on power is threatened, they will resort to all kinds of tactics to cow you into submission. Using violence is just one of their tactics.
We are going to have a fresh round of swearing in holy places and on holy books that so-and-so had sodomised so-and-so. And there will be films showing politicians ‘making the beast with two backs” (Shakespeare, in ‘Othello’). And the police will be keeping the wigs used to disguise the actors in the blue films.
As they say, anything goes. I only hope that the electorate is not misled.
a gangster call another a gangster eh