FULL REPORT SHAH ALAM: PKR supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim has purportedly tendered an apology for “disrespecting” the Selangor Sultan, according to Selangor Umno Youth chief Suhaimi Ghazali and Perkasa Youth chief Armand Azhar Abu Hanifah.
When contacted, Suhaimi and Armand confirmed that an apology was made, but differed on the medium.
While Suhaimi claimed that it was shown on the Astro Awani television channel this morning, Armand however said that Zaid apologised on his blog.
A check by FMT revealed that no such entry was made in Zaid's blog, while a spokesperson for Astro Awani also denied any such broadcast.
Despite numerous attempts, the PKR leader could not be reached for comment. He is, however, slated to hold a press conference tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Suhaimi and Armand, who filed a police report against Zaid here this afternoon, told FMT that an apology was not sufficient.
“This is not enough. The damage has been done and Zaid must face the consequences,” stressed the Umno Youth leader.
'Banish him from Selangor'
In a related development, the “massive” protest against Zaid this afternoon failed to sizzle, when only five Perkasa activists and Umno Youth leaders turned up.
Yesterday, Armand said Perkasa was expecting between 500 and 1,000 people to participate in the protest outside the Shah Alam mosque after Friday prayers.
The protest, however, managed to pique the curiosity of a small group of onlookers.
Addressing them, Perkasa information chief Nurul Izham Nurul said: “Our (Malay) rights have been questioned before, but now there is someone who is questioning the Sultan's decision.”
"This is not something to fool around with. When the Sultan decreed that mosques should not be used for political purposes, this must be respected.
"That is not his (Sultan's) personal view like what Zaid claims,” he added.
Later, a group of about 30 Perkasa and Umno Youth members accompanied Suhaimi and Armand to file the police report.
Speaking to reporters after lodging the report, Suhaimi stressed that Zaid should be punished.
"A mistake is a mistake, and action must be taken against him so this could serve as a lesson to others," he said, describing Zaid's remark as "seditious".
"That is why we want the police to take stern action against him. We are worried that this would incite hatred among the people,” he added.
Suhaimi also did not rule out staging more protests over this issue.
"But we would see how the police handle this. Many NGOs have made similar police reports,” he said.
Yesterday, a group of protesters, led by Armand, torched a wooden effigy of Zaid outside the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya.
At this afternoon's protest, the Perkasa Youth chief reiterated his call for Zaid, who hails from Kelantan, to be banished from Selangor.
Zaid, a former law minister, had ruffled feathers when he remarked that the Sultan had not issued a decree, but rather a personal view which carried little weight.
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