Police reports lodged against Umno delegates for ‘hate speech’ at recent assembly

Several Pakatan Rakyat leaders in Penang lodged four police reports this morning against Umno leaders, Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim and Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said.

Penang DAP vice-chairman Zairil Khir Johari and state PAS secretary Mohd Fadzil Kemi each lodged a report against Mashitah, who alleged that a Chinese man had burned the Quran during a prayer ritual in Kedah when this had already been proven untrue.

Batu Uban assemblyman Dr T. Jayabalan from PKR and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's political secretary and Air Itam assemblyman Wong Hon Wai lodged theirs against Zaidi, who allegedly said the Chinese community in Penang gained wealth and power through illegal activities.

Both Umno leaders had made their claims in speeches at the Umno general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Zairil, who is also Bukit Bendera MP, urged the police to investigate Mashitah under Section 298A of the Penal Code for causing disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudicing, the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion.

He said Mashitah should be investigated for making the allegation when it was already proven that no Chinese man burned the Quran.

"It was already revealed that a mentally unsound Malay man had torn the holy book and he was now in a psychiatric ward," he told reporters outside the northeast district police headquarters in George Town.

What had actually happened was reported even before Mashitah made the remark last week.

A Bernama report had quoted Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir as saying that no Chinese man in the state had burned the Quran.

Meanwhile, Wong said Zaidi, who had reportedly claimed the Chinese in Penang were rich and influential because of their illegal activities in gambling, prostitution and entertainment outlet businesses, should be probed for public mischief under Section 505 of the Penal Code.

"His remarks can be considered a hate speech that insulted the community and cause hatred," Wong said.

Fadzil said the Umno man should not make a remark singling out Penang as a place for vice.

"Prostitution, for example, happens everywhere," he said.

This morning as the police reports were lodged against him, Zaidi told a news conference that his speech had been "misinterpreted" to appear as if he had meant all Chinese in the state were rich and influential due to illegal means.

Zaidi, who is the Permatang Pauh Umno division chairman, said some media outlets had omitted some parts of his speech, causing others to misinterpret him and making his speech a racial issue.

"The word 'kadang-kadang' (sometimes) showed that not all (the Chinese in Penang) were like that. In Malay, the word 'kadang-kadang' means very seldom.

"I uttered the word very clearly in my speech... I did not say all the Chinese in Penang. I said 'kadang-kadang ada segelintir orang Cina di Pulau Pinang' (sometimes some Chinese in Penang) were involved in such activities.

"The word 'kadang-kadang' was omitted in my speech... this shows malicious intention to split the people, cause them to fight," he said at the press conference in Bukit Mertajam. – December 1, 2014.

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