'Zahid safe from law despite implied extra-judicial killing'

Even though Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been accused of endorsing extra-judicial killings by telling the police to "shoot first" when dealing with suspected criminals, the minister himself is unlikely to face any legal repercussions.

Former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim said this is because the home minister was effectively expressing a government policy and is therefore not liable to legal action.

"I do not believe legal action is appropriate or feasible, for he was espousing government policy," he told Malaysiakini when contacted via email yesterday.

Instead, Zaid said, the solution would have to be a political one.

"What the public can do is to reject the government he represents. Only political action is possible, not legal," he said.

However, Zaid noted that in the context of the home minister's right-wing ethnocentric party, his politically incorrect remark is popular.

'Popular for Umno'

"Unfortunately he is well liked by Umno. So (the) more extreme his position, the more popular he becomes," he said.

The Bar Council said yesterday that Zahid's statement could be interpreted as an endorsement of extra-judicial killing and that he may have committed sedition.

In a separate statement, MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu described Zahid's statement, which also contained racial references, as "disappointing".

"Zahid had earlier assured members of the public that the police are colour-blind. His latest remark, if not read out of context, is most unbecoming.

"Crime and law enforcement have nothing to do with colour," Gan said.