KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 – Several leaders and political observers have lambasted Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Tian Chua(pic) who reportedly linked today’s shooting incident in Lahad Datu, Sabah, with an allegation of a conspiracy hatched by the Umno government to divert attention and frighten the people.
They said Tian Chua’s statement was irresponsible and extreme, considering it was about the authorities confronting an armed group from southern Philippines to safeguard the country’s peace and security. Former DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim(pic) described the statement as a “standard script of the DAP” which was completely insensitive to the country’s security.
“By making this kind of statement, he (Tian Chua) must be regarded as the lowest form of human life. This is a careless remark which isn’t what we expect from a decent human being,” he said when contacted by Bernama. Among others, the report also appeared in PKR’s official news website which quoted Tian Chua as saying the intrusion in Lahad Datu was a drama of the government to frighten the people, as if the situation in Sabah was unsafe.
Two police commandos were slain while three others were injured in a firefight in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu involving a group of armed intruders from southern Philippines, in which 12 intruders were killed. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan described Tian Chua’s statement as “evil and ignorant” as Umno did not gamble with the country’s security.
Malay rights group Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali tagged Tian Chua a “serial liar” who was always finding fault with Umno and the government despite the grave situation (in Lahad Datu). Former president of the Malaysian Ex-Army Association Datuk Muhammad Abdul Ghani said, all parties should come together and not mix politics with the security of the country.
He stressed that appropriate action should be taken against Tian Chua and any other quarters seen as inciting the people to prevent a recurrence of such sensitive statements.
BERNAMA
