TAIPING: The government is ready to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the 1985's Memali incident, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said RCI would be formed if there were requests from individuals or organisations related to this tragedy.
"Although we come from different party, this is absolutely the government's responsibility. Laws must be enforced.
"I, on behalf of the government as a Home Ministry, have personally reviewed the report even though it is not officially on my table.
"RCI will be set up to reopen an investigation into the Memali tragedy so justice can be served to all parties and clear the names of the innocents," he said when opening of Umno Bukit Gantang divisional meeting at Dewan Majlis Perbandaran Taiping here today.
Also present were Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and Bukit Gantang Umno chief Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Syed Abdul Fasal (CORRECT).
Pas deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had called for an RCI on the Memali incident, which killed 18 people including four policemen.
The incident also left many others injured after the police launched an operation to arrest a religious teacher, Ibrahim Mahmud, who was popularly known as Ibrahim Libya.
The clash between the police and the villagers of Kampung Memali in Baling, Kedah occurred when the residents tried to prevent the arrest of Ibrahim under the Internal Security Act for allegedly having engaged in deviant teachings.
Earlier in Teluk Intan, Zahid called on all Malaysians to rise and support the national team in its bid to achieve the 111-gold medals target in the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games 2017.
He also said the misprint of Indonesian flag in a booklet for the event was inadvertent error and that Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had apologised to the Indonesian government over the matter.