Pas tells Dr M to meet Memali incident families for closure
Gesture will hopefully bring closure to them, says party secretary-general
PAS has urged Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to visit the families of those affected by the deadly Memali incident, which sparked the violence that shook the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum in Shah Alam on Sunday.
Pas secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said he hoped the gesture would bring closure to the incident, which took place in 1985 during Dr Mahathir’s tenure as prime minister.
“Following the Memali issue that was raised by one of the (forum’s) audience members, Pas feels that the people linked to the unfortunate tragedy should take a humane approach towards the families of those affected,” he said yesterday.
Takiyuddin also said he hoped such an approach would end the feelings of vengeance, prejudice, suspicion and egotism surrounding the incident, in which 18 people, including four police officers, were killed.
“We should make an effort to help everyone who is in need of material and moral support.”
On Sunday, a riot occurred during the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum, which saw several attendees injured when a group of people threw a lit flare, slippers and chairs.
The commotion began shortly after a member of the audience asked Dr Mahathir about the Memali incident.
Midway through the former prime minister ’s reply, 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.
Takiyuddin said following the riot, Malaysians should avoid exacerbating problems that could be solved peacefully.
“Pas takes this matter seriously... We feel that such an incident should not have taken place as this is not our culture,” said Takiyuddin.
He also pinned the blame on the event organisers, saying they should have taken steps to avoid provocative and escalatory behaviour.
“The organisers should have controlled the situation and the panellists (Dr Mahathir and Azhar) should have avoided making comments that could draw negative reactions,” he said, adding that the audience should also have remained polite and respected each other’s opinion.