By Haris Ibrahim,
In my ‘Malaysiakini stands up to defy the oppressors’ post, I had asked if the reason might be to avoid ministerial embarrassment and had suggested that if that were so, it was a case of too little, too late.
MCMC’s reasoning, applicable to both videos, is that the “videos contain offensive contents with the intent to annoy any person, especially Indians”.
The Malaysiakini report of the press conference by Hishamuddin, which is the subject matter of the second video, had the Home Minister saying that the “residents did not know the organisers and did not know a cow’s head would be brought during the demonstration” , and added that the police would investigate the incident to identify who brought the cow’s head to the protest.
The report has it that this press conference took place after Hisham had an hour-long closed-door meeting with residents’ representatives at his office in Putrajaya.
It also reported that when asked why no police action was taken when the head of the cow was brought to the scene of the protest, he claimed that action had been taken and then said that “I was monitoring it myself and reporting it to the prime minister”.
At this point, I will make the observation that it is reasonable to assume that as Hisham was ‘monitoring it’ himself and reporting to the PM on the matter, he must surely have watched video footage when the head of the cow was carried to the protest and the disgraceful things that were done to it, before he went into that hour-long meeting.
That video footage can in fact be found in the first video that MCMC have asked Malaysiakini to remove from their website.
It is already available on Youtube.
If you watch the video, you will note that the head of the cow appears for the first time from the 58th second of the video, carried by two unidentifiable individuals clad in jeans and t-shirts.
1 minute and 7 seconds into the video clip, and for about 10 seconds, you will see that a man in a white shirt and songkok is now one of two persons carrying the head of the cow in the procession.
The same man resumes carrying the head 1 minute and 20 seconds into the clip for another 9 seconds.
He’s back 3 minutes and 22 seconds into the clip, this time seen adjusting the head and then placing his foot on the same.
I think it is inconceivable that Hisham would not have viewed this footge before going into that meeting with the residents.
The Malaysiakini report of that press conference after that meeting carried three photographs. I reproduce two below.
Only those to the right and directly behind Hisham are caught in this photo. Those on the left do not appear
This is a photo of that scene at minute 3 and 20 seconds in the video clip of the man in the white shirt and songkok with his foot on the head of the cow
The second video clip that MCMC wants Malaysiakini to remove from its website is also now available on Youtube.
From the outset, you will see several people behind Hisham beckoning someone to come and join them.
11 seconds into this video clip, that person walks in and joins the others.
This person, now without a songkok, and in a blue shirt, is the very same person who appears in the white shirt, wearing a songkok and carrying the head of the cow to the protest at the SUK building in Shah Alam.
Isn’t it really quite mind boggling that in the course of the press conference, Hisham said that police were investigating to identify the person who brought the head to the protest, and right through the press conference, the perpetrator of that evil deed was standing behind Hisham?
Are we to believe that Hisham met this ‘cow head’ carrier, would have viewed his antics on the first video, and still swallowed the yarn that the residents did not know who brought the head of the cow to the protest?
I don’t believe this for one moment.
This is what I believe.
MCMC wants this video removed because it bears the plainest evidence that the Home Minister aided and abetted in a lie that the residents did not know who brought the head of the cow to the protest.
This raises important questions.
Why would a senior federal minister go to such lengths to cover up the wrongdoings of these ‘residents’?
Who are these ‘residents’, really?
Was the hour-long meeting to hear the residents side of the story or to plot this attempted cover-up?
Who is this person who, it seemed, was first reluctant to be part of the press conference and then, foolishly, stepped into the spotlight?
I was at the dialogue in Shah Alam yesterday that was hosted by the Selangor state government to hear the views of the section 23 residents on the proposed move of the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple that has become contoversial. So was this ‘cow head’ carrier.
Will tell you about the dialogue, this fellow and his merry men who were there, and my thoughts on the same in a forthcoming post.
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