The party's Youth wing says it will not fall for Umno Youth's tactics of provocation.
PETALING JAYA: PKR Youth has a very simple tactic to counter Umno Youth’s provocations – simply ignore them.
Last night, Umno Youth supporters on motorcycles gathered at PKR headquarters threatening to burn down the building and demanding that the party withdraw its support for Bersih’s planned rally.
PKR Youth deputy chief, Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin, refused to be goaded, saying they will not retaliate to Umno Youth’s provocations.
“They will not threaten us into this kind of confrontational politics. We are very clear about our objective,” he said.
“The July 9 rally is to call for electoral reforms. It is not to fight against Umno Youth, Perkasa or the police. We will not be distracted by provocative acts. We will keep our focus,” he added.
He said that some PKR Youth members had informed him last night that a group of Umno Youth members had gathered at the PKR headquarters and had issued threats but he was unperturbed.
“I wasn’t there last night but members called to inform me. I just told them let them (Umno Youth) do what they want. Whatever it is, we don’t have to confront them,” he said.
Death threat
Khairul Anuar also chided Umno Youth executive committee member Lokman Noor Adam for alleging that PKR had issued the SMS death threat to its chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
“It is just wrong to make those allegations. I myself received a death threat last week. When we were also threatened , why would we want to sent SMSes to him (Khairy)?” he said.
He advised Lokman to lodge a police report regarding the SMS death threat, saying that the police would be the right party to investigate the matter.
Khairul Anuar was one of the first persons to be arrested over the planned Bersih rally. He was picked up last Friday in Shah Alam and released early Saturday morning after his statement was recorded.
He claimed that he was arrested because he was wearing the yellow Bersih T-shirt, which the police said would incite others to participate in the rally.
Later, the police said that he was not detained but merely taken in for his statement to be recorded but Khairul Anuar begs to differ.
“Come on la… I was handcuffed and taken to the station,” he told FMT, adding that the police later said that he was taken in on suspicion of planning to join the rally.
Obsolete tactics
Meanwhile, PKR Youth said in a statement that these provocations in the forms of arrests and threats by the government will not blind the people.
“The people are aware and literate and are not easily deceived by Umno-Barisan National’s obsolete political tactics.”
The statement also said that such tactics will only benefit Pakatan Rakyat in the next general election as “Umno’s thuggish politics will only cause them to self-destruct”.
Several developments that have taken place over the weekend are believed to be linked to the planned rallies on July 9.
On Saturday, 30 Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) activists were remanded in Penang for their alleged link to Bersih. They were also charged with waging war against the King.
PSM has clarified that the arrests were not related to Bersih but linked to their own campaign, “Udahla Tu… Bersarala” (Enough already – retire now).
However, the party also said that such detentions were mere scare tactics employed by the authorities to prevent the July 9 rally from proceeding.
Many civil society leaders and politicians are also being called up for questioning regarding the rally.
Yesterday, Bersih chairman S Ambiga, national laureate A Samad Said, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali and an Umno Youth representative were also quizzed.
Today, PKR vice-president Nurrul Izzah, PKR leader R Sivarasa, lawyers N Surendran, Fadiah Nadwa Fitri and Latheefa Koya (the last three are from legal aid organisation Lawyers for Liberty) were also summoned to give their statements at the Dang Wangi police station. Anwar Ibrahim is also slated to be questioned by the police today.
Also read:
‘Mischief makers expected in Bersih crowd’
Cops probe gathering at PKR HQ
‘Kami hanya beri amaran supaya batalkan Bersih’
