Kit Siang: Gov't has failed to prove coup claim
The federal government has proved it cannot substantiate its claim that the Bersih 3.0 rally amounted to an attempted coup, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang says.
The federal government has proved it cannot substantiate its claim that the Bersih 3.0 rally amounted to an attempted coup, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang says.
This was proven when de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (
left
) told the Dewan Rakyat today that Bersih supporters could have toppled the government with “salt and water bottles”, Lim said in a press statement.
Nazri had said this when replying to Lim during Question Time.
The Ipoh Timor MP had asked the prime minister to explain why the government called the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 a coup attempt when participants were only carrying salt and water bottles.
Three former police chiefs - Musa Hassan, Rahim Noor and Hanif Omar - had also claimed that Bersih was a coup attempt , supporting the position held by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
Lim described Nazri’s reply as a “total disappointment” as there was no attempt to back up the government’s claims against Bersih.
“The secret is now out - the prime minister and the three former (police chiefs) have absolutely no evidence whatsoever to back the wild and reckless allegation that Bersih 3.0 rally was a coup attempt to topple the government by force.
“But, the Najib government is mortally afraid of ‘salt and water bottles’ because these can topple governments which have lost support of the people.”
Ulterior motive?
In view of government’s inability to back its claim, Lim said, the premier and the former police chiefs should publicly apologise for their “baseless” allegation.
“Secondly, the government should dissolve the Hanif independent advisory panel to inquire into Bersih 3.0 violence and brutality,” he said.
However, he speculated that placing Hanif in the panel may include an ulterior motive - to prove that the Bersih rally was indeed a coup attempt.
Critics have pointed out that Hanif is not fit to lead the inquiry because he has taken a stand against Bersih after the rally.
Lim added that the government should instead provide full support to the Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into violence during the Bersih rally.
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