Pakatan wants Hishammuddin sacked

SHAH ALAM, Sept 3 — Selangor Pakatan Rakyat leader Xavier Jayakumar demanded Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to be sacked or step down from the Cabinet after the home minister appeared to favour those linked to last week’s cow-head protest.

Jayakumar chided the Umno vice-president for interfering in police investigations by talking to those suspected of carrying out the bigoted Hindu temple protest, as cows are sacred in Hinduism.

“We ask for him to step down or be sacked as minister of internal affairs as he has broken the trust placed in him by Malaysians,” the Selangor state executive councillor said in a statement.

He noted that Hishammuddin had met with “a group who has no respect for other Malaysians and worse still, defends them, forgetting that he is the Minster of Internal Affairs of all Malaysians”.

Hisham’s (centre) overt support for the protesters in the cow-head protest has Selangor Pakatan leaders calling for his head. — Picture by Choo Choy May

“Can we now accept that anyone who is disrespectful of other Malaysians and is still under investigation, will be heard by the Minister himself,” the PKR man asked.

Other Pakatan Rakyat leaders have accused Umno of being behind the protest by Section 23 residents who are against the relocation of the 150-year-old Sri Mahamariamman temple from Section 19. The residents claim their area is a Malay-Muslim majority neighbourhood although the state says there is a significant presence of Hindus there.

In a sarcastic aside to the home minister, Jeyakumar said, “Hey — all you thieves, murderers, rapists, corrupt officials and whoever else can now turn to Hishammuddin before the Attorney-General decides what to do.”

He added that Hishammuddin had in the past “waved his keris inciting bloodshed, supported the arrest of lawyers who went to defend those detained by the police, arrested 580 people (this is a record) for standing up for their rights to protest against the ISA and now defends a group who is prepared to bring about racial unrest and bloodshed”.

“This shows that he has utter disrespect for the rule of law and uses his position and power for his own political gain,” he added.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday it was up to the Attorney-General and police to decide prosecution, brushing aside his cousin’s views of a possible solution that could prevent legal action.

Jayakumar claims Hisham’s actions have eroded people’s faith in his as home minister. — Picture by Choo Choy May

An outraged Najib ordered police to take action after the residents carried the severed cow-head to the Selangor state secretariat last Friday to register their protest as riot police stood by.

Noting Hishamuddin’s support for the Section 23 residents which he said flies in the face of Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept, Jeyakumar asked “Do minorities have a right to pray, build a place of worship and live peacefully with other Malaysians, or does Umno and the Barisan [Nasional] prescribe that we build our places of worship in the heart of a jungle, where we will be out of sight and this is safe for Barisan?

“We teach our children [the] Rukun Negara, moral studies in school, but how do we explain to a child that toleration is important when such hatred and irresponsible behaviour is supported by national leaders?”

While the Selangor government will hold a town hall meeting with Section 23 residents this Saturday, Jayakumar asked for tolerance, goodwill and a spirit of give-and-take among the neighbours there to solve the issue soon.