KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 – Royalists and pro-Umno groups have stepped up their rhetoric against Pakatan Rakyat (PR), in an attempt to whip up backing from the Malay masses for the Malay rulers and Barisan Nasional (BN) against so-called “traitors.”
The mass-selling Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and also Berita Harian, the two major Malay-language newspapers in the country, gave almost blanket coverage to a host of views backing the royalty against the perceived threats from PR leaders.
Utusan, it an editorial, asked if it was really so difficult to strip someone of their citizenship, in a commentary about the calls from various pro-Umno groups who want the authorities to either strip DAP chairman Karpal Singh of his citizenship, or even to banish PR leaders like Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin.
According to Awang Selamat, the pseudonym used by senior editors in Utusan, their crime is to challenge the decision of Sultan Azlan Shah to appoint a BN government in Perak.
Awang Selamat accused Nizar of being a traitor for refusing to resign as mentri besar. Anwar is also accused of treachery for backing Nizar while for Karpal it was because he had threatened to sue the Sultan.
Awang Selamat also asserted that as a country with a constitutional monarchy, no one is allowed to insult or ridicule the rulers. The writer did not, however, cite any constitutional provision.
Both Utusan and Berita Harian, in their Sunday editions Mingguan Malaysia and Berita Minggu carried scathing attacks from various Umno leaders against the “treacherous behaviour” of challenging the Malay rulers.
The vitriolic remarks come following the Sultan of Selangor's remarks on Friday, in backing Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak's role in his state's political crisis.
Sultan Azlan Shah has now sworn-in a new BN government in Perak, eventhough Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin maintains his PR government has not resigned and is therefore still legitimate.
Nizar's action in taking Zambry to court to have the BN government declared illegal is now being protrayed by Umno as an act of treason as it challenges the Sultan's wishes.
Sultan Azlan Shah has come under criticism over his decision to apparently dismiss Nizar, which is something PR contends he has no power to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment