PKR rep: I was there in front row
Speaker at dialogue did not demean Deepavali, says Norlela
GEORGE TOWN: A PKR assemblywoman has come out in defence of a residents’ group official who is caught in a controversy after speaking up on issues of concern in Penang.
The party’s Penanti representative, Dr Norlela Ariffin, said she was seated in the front row to record the dialogue live on her Facebook page and K. Suthakar did not utter anything to demean Deepavali.
Rubbishing a photograph being circulated on social media, carrying offending words and attributing these to have been uttered by Suthakar, Dr Norlela said: “One can check my FB to see if Suthakar had indeed uttered those words.
“He is also a Hindu and there is no reason for him to put Deepavali in a bad light.”
The dialogue was organised by the Penang Forum on Sunday under the theme “Floods in Penang: A Call for Action”.
A forum official said certain parties were diverting attention from issues of concern in the state by creating “new ones”.
He said it was regrettable that there were those who tried to stir up controversy such as the photo being circulated on WhatsApp with the disparaging words.
“There is video evidence of what was actually said and the context in which it was said,’’ the official said in a statement.
He said a four-part video of the forum could be found on the website penangforum.net/ penang-forum-8/.
Penang Forum is a coalition of some 20 civil society groups.
Suthakar, who said he spoke on behalf of resident groups in Bandar Baru Ayer Itam, lodged a report at the Patani Road police station yesterday. He has also sought legal advice on the matter.
An online news portal reported that Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy was irked that “a “seemingly racial remark” was made at the dialogue.