Minister: I never said Tiga Line were 'our people'
Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has claimed that he never called the outlawed underworld gang Tiga Line as “one of us” during his controversial speech at an event in Malacca last Saturday.
Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has claimed that he never called the outlawed underworld gang Tiga Line as "one of us" during his controversial speech at an event in Malacca last Saturday.
"I never said that Tiga Line were our people. I just said that they are a breakaway group of Pekida, and that part forms Tiga Line," Sinar Harian quotes Ahmad Zahid as saying.
"I have received detailed reports on this matter, even before becoming home minister," he said.
"But if among them some became bouncers, car repossesers, and are involved in crime, I would ask the police to arrest them. Why was that sentence not released?" he questioned.
On Tuesday, Malaysiakini published the full 20-minute recording of Zahid's speech, which we obtained.
In the speech, Ahmad Zahid appears to back the Tiga Line gang and at one point referred to them from a first person perspective.
He was initially stressing that the police were colour blind and that anyone found to be involved in underworld activities would be arrested, before moving on to references about Tiga Line.
'They are not real gangsters'
"From these 6,171 Malays (gangsters), they are not real gangsters. They used to be Pekida members. They are the Tiga Line gang, Gang 30, Gang 7, these are all festive season gangsters (gangster kenduri-kendara).
"They are gangsters on funeral days only. I tell the our Tiga Line friends, do what’s necessary," Zahid is recorded as saying, to applause from the audience.
Right after this, Zahid made a first person reference to the group.
"We are not bad people. I know, I have checked. We gather during occasions with our brothers, we gather during projects, never mind. I see here, all the four candidates, all are Tiga Line," he says.
Meanwhile, in an interview with broadsheet Utusan Malaysia, Zahid reiterates that his 'shoot first' remark made during the same speech was in reference to the incident in Penang where police shot dead five men on Aug 19.
"I support what the police did because our intelligence reports confirm that all suspects had firearms on them.
"What the police did was based on solid information and the shooting was done according to procedures. What I mean is, if there is prior warning, surely the police will be shot dead first.
"Every time police die, where are the human rights champions? Is it wrong for me to defend the police?" he is quoted by the daily as saying.
The Home Ministry had previously outlawed 49 underworld gangs, including Tiga Line, in an attempt to curb escalating crime rates.
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