Zahid: Cash reward for slapping Teresa Kok is not a threat
BY NICHOLAS CHENG AND MARTIN CARVALHO
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
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KAJANG: Why should police investigate the Muslim NGOs who offered a cash reward for anyone who could slap Seputeh MP Teresa Kok? It wasn’t a threat, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“If they issued a death threat, then it would be a threat. Slapping is not,” Zahid told reporters after a forum at the Kajang prison Saturday morning.
When asked if he thought the accusations made by the NGOs, that Kok’s controversial Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014 video had fanned racial hatred Dr. Zahid opted not to comment but stressed that the NGOs are being investigated.
“They are being investigated, so we should leave it to the investigation,” he confirmed.
Zahid added that an investigation had been initiated against Kok for her controversial Chinese New Year video, with over 300 police reports being lodged against her.
“It is being handled by the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC),” he said.
On Friday, Kok had lodged a police report against the group of supposed Muslim NGOs, which had offered a RM500 reward to anyone who could slap her. The amount was later raised to RM1,200.
The group, had on Thursday also slammed “chauvinistic leaders” who were using current issues to fan hatred against them.
The protesters then slaughtered chickens and smeared their blood on a poster with the faces of Kok, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and Machang Bubuk MP Lee Khai Loon on them.
Their actions had sparked outrage among Muslim and non-Muslims who accused the NGOs of trying to incite hatred among the races and violence against an elected representative.
Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin says that he is against the extreme action of the supposed Muslim NGOs.
“As much as I think that the video was done in bad taste and should not have been even recorded by her, the offer by the groups is extreme and cannot be accept," Khairy said after launching the National Aspiration and Leadership Symposium in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
Although there are quarters who are against the video, Khairy said there was no justification for the groups to behave in such an uncivilised, uncultured and unIslamic manner.
“There are some people who are mad at her but not until we become uncivilised as it is also unIslamic and against Malay custom.
“We have to be restrained in our response,” Khairy said.
He cited the approach taken by Wilayah Persekutuan Umno Youth in lodging a report as a way of showing they were against the video.
Khairy added that the police and AG must explain the outcome of investigations and decide if the video is seditious.
“If there is no explanation, the issue will only be prolonged,” he said, adding that focus should be on nation building rather than the incident being politicised.BN leaders: Calls to slap Kok against the law
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PETALING JAYA: The authorities must act over the controversial call to slap Teresa Kok as such an offer contravenes a person’s right to be free from harm, say leaders from several Barisan Nasional component parties.
“Not only are such calls uncouth, out-of-time, they are an abuse of the principles of democracy, and in this case, seditious, in gross contravention of an individual’s right to be free from harm in any form,” said MCA religious bureau chairman Datuk Ti Lian Ker in a statement yesterday.
Ti said he stood with his comrades who have criticised the Chinese New Year video, which alluded to and caricatured MCA leaders, national figures and even parodied the sacrifices of security forces who died defending the sovereignty of the country.
He said MCA was a party that speaks out on any national issue and not simply lambast the Opposition for the sake of merely criticising.
“In this context, where the safety and security of an Opposition member has been compromised, we condemn it in the harshest terms,” he said, adding that the actions by the NGOs were “unacceptable and reprehensible”.
MCA Wanita chief Datuk Heng Seai Kie said Kok could be wrong in producing the defamatory video clip.
“However, the Malay NGOs should not take the law into their own hands,” she said.
“Wanita MCA condemns such acts – offering cash to slap Kok as well as smearing chicken blood on the banner bearing Pakatan Rakyat leaders’ portraits,” she said in a statement.
Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang urged police to take action against those who had offered the reward.
“This is clearly an offer to assault a person, which is against the law,” he said.
MIC Youth chief C. Sivarrajh said the groups should not over-react as this could lead to racial tensions.
THE STAR
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