KUALA LUMPUR: The chaos at Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (PPBM) “Nothing to Hide 2.0” forum yesterday should not be viewed through partisan lens, as did by Pakatan Harapan pro tem leaders whom had blamed Umno over the riots.
In support of Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s condemnation against the violent acts committed at the event, Communications and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak said reactions by PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and PPBM Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had revealed their politicking nature.
Azmin, who is also Selangor menteri besar had yesterday claimed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak “had employed gangsterism to silence Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad”, while Syed Saddiq alleged “there were elements to sabotage and cause hurt to Dr Mahathir.”
“I do not know from where did Azmin received such an information so quickly, to claim Najib as the mastermind behind the chaos. I also do not know from where did Syed Saddiq receive his information,” Salleh said in his blog posting today.
He pointed out that Khairy was right to treat the incident in a bipartisan manner, as opposed to both of Azmin and Syed Saddiq’s responses that would not be healthy to the country’s politics,
Khairy had tweeted yesterday: “What happened at #Nothing2Hide must be condemned & cannot be tolerated. Hope Polis (sic) apprehend those responsible.”
“The Umno Youth chief’s reaction is on point. His statement goes beyond political boundaries. This is the kind of response which I had hoped from other political leaders, but sadly, they (opposition leaders) tend to be politicking all the time, even at a time when such a challenge is before us.
“Such (reactions by opposition leaders) should not have happened because it is unhealthy for the country’s politics. Even if (they) are champing at the bit to get to (contest in) the (general) election, they should just (be patient and) wait for it, which will be (called) in less than a year, the latest.”
Salleh said there were four lessons from the chaos which took place at the forum.
“First, when organising an event, attention must be given to the security aspect. Second, the event to be held should meet the terms outlined by the law. Third, adhere to the advice issued by security teams. And fourth, gangsterism (in) politics is not our political culture.”