Alor Setar MP takes government to task for clearing former deputy minister Mashitah Ibrahim of wrongdoing after she falsely accused Kedahan Chinese of burning the Quran.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) should review its decision to drop charges against former Umno Deputy Minister Mashitah Ibrahim over her “hate speech”, a PKR MP said today.
Alor Setar MP Gooi Hsiao Leung said this when reacting to a written reply from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri, who said the AGC had cleared Mashitah of any wrongdoing after having gone through the investigation papers on the incident.
Nancy said this in answer to a question posed by Gooi in the Dewan Rakyat recently, enquiring on what action would be taken against Mashitah over her speech in November 2014, in which she “falsely” accused the Chinese in Kedah of burning the pages of the Quran during a religious ceremony.
In his statement, Gooi said he was “utterly appalled” at the lack of action taken against the Umno leader and added, “Mashitah, in spreading lies about the Chinese in Kedah, had riled up Umno delegates and members in her speech to stand up against those who challenged the Malays and Islam.
“Incidentally at the time, several Chinese hawker stalls in Alor Setar were also torched following rumours that the Chinese had burned the Quran in Alor Setar.”
Gooi remarked that it was “incredible” how the AGC did not find any wrongdoing in Mashitah’s case when her speech was heard by thousands of Umno members and widely reported in the media.
Gooi charged that Mashitah was also defiant in that she refused to retract her allegations or apologise for uttering false statements. He also listed a number of possible offences the Umno member could have been charged with, including the Sedition Act.
“Clearly by their actions, the authorities are protecting Mashitah Ibrahim by white-washing her case and letting her off the hook completely,” he alleged, adding that the decision to drop the case was a “huge let down” to the Chinese community in Kedah.
He called for Nancy to instruct the AGC to review the case and make recommendations that Mashitah be held accountable for her speech and conduct and be charged accordingly for inciting racial and religious hatred in the state.
Original article from: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/03/28/gooi-accuses-govt-of-white-washing-quran-burning-case/
