Pandemonium breaks out after Memali question
A few people injured when they are set upon by mob
A flare is tossed, water bottles, chairs and a shoe are thrown, and people are assaulted at the Nothing to
Hide 2.0 forum organised by the PPBM Youth wing. It all starts shortly after PPBM chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is asked about his role in the Memali incident in which 18 people, including four cops, were killed.
AQUESTION on the Memali incident in 1985 sparked off a riot during the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum here, which saw several people hurt when a group of people threw a flare, slippers and chairs.
It began when Pakatan Harapan protem chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was speaking about the Memali incident, which saw 14 villagers and four policemen killed.
The 5.30pm incident at Dewan Raja Muda Musa in Section 7 here saw several people, including members of the press, injured when they were set upon by an angry mob.
The commotion began shortly after a member of the audience asked the former prime minister on the Memali incident.
“I want to ask about the Memali incident in 1985 when you were the prime minister so that people, like my generation, would understand,” asked the male audience, who was immediately jeered.
“This is (supposed to be) nothing to hide, so don’t be a ‘machai’. Let me speak.
“In 1985, there is this Memali tragedy. Police had to raid Ustaz Ibrahim Mahmud’s hideout. Four policemen and 14 villagers were killed. Why, Tun? They were Malaysians. They were Malays, villagers, not Jews or Zionists,” he said.
Dr Mahathir replied that police had to follow the standard operating procedures.
However, the former prime minister’s reply was cut short when someone in the audience stood up and threw a shoe at him. This was immediately followed by others who started throwing water bottles, slippers and chairs towards the main stage, where Dr Mahathir and event moderator Azhar Harun were sitting.
The situation worsened when an unknown person tossed a flare, which landed near the people seated close to the stage, causing a small fire on the floor.
This led to a series of assault involving hundreds of people, mostly wearing Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Youth T-shirts. They also chased after a group of alleged agent provocateurs to the hall’s exit.
It is learnt that at the same time, Dr Mahathir, his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and other opposition leaders, including Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, were ushered to safety by bodyguards and security personnel.
Several members of the audience vented their anger at members of the press for taking their pictures.
Police arrested three people, aged 17, 18 and 19, following the chaos.
Shah Alam district police chief Assistant Commissioner Shafien Mamat said the trio, two of whom are private college students, were apprehended by members of the public. Additional reporting by Dawn Chan and Faisal Asyraf
Page 1 pic: Pandemonium breaking out after a flare is thrown near the stage of the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum in Shah Alam yesterday. PIC BY MOHD ASRI
SAIFUDDIN MAMAT