PROTESTERS IN KEDAH CALL FOR RCI ON MEMALI INCIDENT
Pas, NGO members also want MACC to probe wealth of Dr M’s family
AGROUP of Gagasan Sejahtera supporters held a peaceful demonstration calling for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the Memali incident three decades ago.
The group, comprising Pas and non-governmental organisation Suara Islam members, also called for an investigation into the wealth of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s family.
“We want the government to form a RCI into the Memali incident so that the public will know the truth about what had happened and who was responsible for the deaths,” the group’s spokesman, Mohd Rozi Rashid, said in front of Masjid Derga AlIrfan here.
“We will not know the truth if we keep referring to Dr Mahathir’s version of the story, while other quarters relate the incident from a different perspective.”
Rozi claimed Dr Mahathir was an expert in distorting the truth, adding that he would rather believe statements made by the deputy prime minister at the time, Tun Musa Hitam, with regard to the tragedy.
(Dr Mahathir had claimed to be out of the country at the time of the incident, but Musa later revealed that the former was in his Kuala Lumpur office, not in China as claimed.)
“We received news that family members of the victims (in the incident) are devastated by the actions of former Pas leaders, who have turned their backs on the party to join Dr Mahathir (in Pakatan Harapan).
“We want the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission to investigate the wealth of Dr Mahathir’s family as there have been reports lodged with the police and commission, including by former Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia members.
“The alleged wealth amassed by Dr Mahathir’s family had previously been disclosed by opposition leaders, including Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Rafizi Ramli and Mohammad Sabu, but they have stopped talking about the issue since Dr Mahathir joined Pakatan. We want the wealth to be made public so that people know who he is.”
In the Memali incident, 18 people, including four policemen, were killed.
The tragedy left many injured after police tried to arrest religious teacher Ibrahim Mahmud, known as Ibrahim Libya. Ibrahim was among those who died.