Penang Umno has blamed the attempted arson on the DAP headquarters early this morning on the work of "party insiders" to quell the controversy over the ban on using loudspeakers for recitals of Quranic verses.

NONE State Umno Youth chief Shaik Hussein Mydin ( left ) said that blaming his party members for all the ills in DAP was a very convenient way for Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to divert attention from the ban, recently decided by the Fatwa Council.

Shaik Hussein added that just as Lim had accused Umno for the suspected arson attack, he was blaming the latter for trying to "cover up" the loudspeaker issue.

"I hope Lim would act as the chief minister of Penang and not like an opposition leader. He must remember that Umno members are the rakyat too," he told Malaysiakini .

"It's so easy to blame us... it looks like even if Lim falls into a drain, he would blame Umno for it," quipped Shaik Hussein.

"Please do not play dirty politics... you work hard, we also work hard, let's see who the people choose at the end," was his message to Lim, who is also the DAP national secretary general.

Shaik Hussein was responding to accusations by Lim today that the arson attack was probably a backlash against the Penang government by Umno over the issue of Quran recitals.

Lim said the ban was decided by the mufti, not the state government.

He added that the existing response towards the DAP was "dangerous" as the party's headquarters had been attacked twice in a week.

Early this morning, a stack of newspapers outside the DAP's headquarters in Jalan Talipon was set alight four days after it was splashed with orange and red paint.

DAP leaders have cried foul, saying the incident, which left the entrance to the office in a messy state, was "politically motivated".

On Sunday, Komtar assemblyperson's Ng Wei Aik's service centre on Lorong Seratus Tahun was also found splashed with paint.

Penang state executive member and state DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow also said that the Seberang Perai Municipal Council building was smeared with red paint either last night or early this morning.

Disgruntled member

Meanwhile, Penang-based NGO Suara Anak Anak Malaysia said the attack on DAP's office was probably initiated by disgruntled members of the party.

NONE SAAM chief Mohamed Ghani Abdul Jiman said the suspected arsonists were "cowards" who were not courageous enough to criticise their leaders openly but resorted to such tactics.

He said if the organisation he represents had decided to organise a burning event, there would definitely be witnesses.

He denied being involved in the incident this morning, saying that if the group had decided to set the HQ on fire, it would have informed the public about its plans.

"We will invite our members, the press and the police to come to see what we are doing. We will do it in public and not in hiding," he told reporters, when met outside the The Star office in Penang today.

"We will take responsibility for all our actions. We will admit openly what we have done," he added.

"If we decided to burn their building, we would have informed everyone about it. We are gentlemen and not cowards," he stressed.

NONE Mohamed Ghani, who had levelled strong criticisms against the Penang government for allegedly marginalising the Malays community, was asked to comment on the DAP headquarters incident on Jalan Talipon this morning.

He was with a group of ten other men from Malay rights pressure group Perkasa and Persatuan Kemajuan Insan Malaysia who showed their disgust at The Star by burning its newspapers outside the office premises in Bayan Lepas today.

They were protesting over its recent Ramadan supplement which ran ' buka puasa ' (breaking of fast) articles together with stories of non-halal restaurants.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Ghani also warned other newspapers including Malaysiakini to "report properly" or face similar actions from the group.

When told that Malaysiakini does not have a physical office in Penang, Mohamed Ghani warned that its location was not a problem for the group.

"We will find you no matter where you are. Even if your office is in the United States, we will fly there," he replied.

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