Nazri: Dr M to blame

SHAH ALAM: Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said Sunday’s incident at the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum was brought upon by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed himself.

“He deserves it. If he wants to be a street fighter, that is what you get.

“If you do not want to behave like a statesman but behave like a gangster, that is what you get.

“So, he asked for it,” he told a press conference at i-City yesterday.

On accusations that Umno was behind the incident, Nazri said the ruling party had better things to do.

“Why would we want to waste time on a stupid show?

“Everything is conveniently blamed on Umno. Everything has to do with Umno. If somebody passes away tomorrow, it is because of Umno.”

Nazri also questioned how the event had obtained police approval while his proposed debate with Mahathir earlier was rejected.

The forum was disrupted by a group which set off flares and threw shoes and chairs around.

The fracas started after Mahathir was asked about the Memali incident in Baling, Kedah, in 1985 and if he would take responsibility for the bloodshed that left 18 people dead, including four policemen.

Police detained another seven men aged between 20 and 30 on Monday, bringing to 10 the number of those held over the incident.

“We believe they were involved in the commotion,” said Selangor CID chief SAC Fadzil Ahmat, adding that police were looking for more suspects.

“We are also investigating the rioting aspect and the use of flares.”

Three youths aged 17 to 19 were arrested on Sunday and remanded for four days.