Sand issue blown out of proportion, says Kapar MP

By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia Today,

KAPAR: PKR's Kapar MP S Manikavasagam has expressed dismay that the sand-mining issue in Selangor has been blown out of proportion and that his original intention in raising the issue has been distorted.

Manikavasagam, who received his third death threat and had his and his wife's car splashed with red paint yesterday, reiterated that his police report last Wednesday was based on “allegations” and not “accusations”.

“All I pushed for was an investigation into the complaints that I received,” he said when contacted by FMT.
“I never once accused Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) of corruption. My agenda is to rid the state government of corruption as stated in our manifesto. Not to bring it down.”

However, Manikavasagam observed that it was interesting how the recent red-paint attack occurred as soon as KSSB's 48-hour deadline for him to retract his police report was up.

SSB threatened him with a defamation suit last week if he didn't retract his report and resign from his position as MP, but Manikavasagam said that he has yet to hear from the company.

He repeated his refusal to entertain either of KSSB's demands, saying that he is prepared to fight KSSB in court if that's what it wants.

Manikavasagam also expressed disappointment over Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim's response to the paint-splashing incident.

In a post on his blog today, the Kapar MP quoted Khalid as saying, “I told YB Manikavasagam that when you accuse somebody, they too will retaliate, and you will have to face the consequences.”

Manikavasagam said that his statement could almost mean “I am happy that someone has taken revenge against you, while your life and your family's doesn't matter to the ruling state government”.

“Attacking me is one thing,” he said. “Attacking my family in my home is another altogether. My children were too traumatised to even go to school today. But the police are going all out to nab those responsible and I will be installing a CCTV in my home by today.”

'I was given a deadline, too'

Manikavasagam's decision to go public with these allegations have incurred the wrath of his fellow MPs with many of them saying he should have handled it internally.
They have also criticised him for issuing a 72-hour deadline to Khalid which they say is tantamount to a threat. But Manikavasagam said he had a deadline to meet, too.

“By the time the complainants approached me, they had already met with DAP and PAS leaders who reportedly ignored them,” he explained. “They gave me 72 hours to take action before they took their complaint to Umno. I had to act fast.”

“I tried to meet with Khalid that very day but he was unable to see me. I waited another 24 hours before issuing the 72-hour deadline. It wasn't a threat but an indication of the seriousness of the situation. Can you imagine if the documents had fallen into Umno hands?”

However, Manikavasagam said that his biggest mistake turned out to be trusting Khalid and handing over the documents.

“KSSB is state-owned, so of course he is able to control the way in which investigations are conducted,” he said. “Furthermore, the contents of these documents found its way into the hands of others including KSSB.”
Khalid today denied these claims.

Manikavasagam also confirmed that the complainants who met him were the same ones who had approached Selangor state executive councillor Ronnie Liu and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo in late February and early March.

Liu and Gobind said that they had received similar complaints but expressed uncertainty over whether the information and the group were the same.

Will not quit PKR

On another note, Manikavasagam said that he regretted how certain quarters were using the sand- mining issue as a platform to defect from the party.

While he declined to mention names, it was obvious that he was referring to Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong who resigned last Friday.

“My stand is firm,” he said. “I am here to fight corruption and I will never resign from the party based on issues like this.”

“The beauty of Pakatan is that we are able to question our leaders. This is sacrilegious in BN, MCA or MIC. It is a practice that should be encouraged, not condemned.”