Two opposing groups had planned to cause problems during the dialogue between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and NGOs scheduled for this morning.

Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said police had received genuine information about the groups' plans and decided to cancel the event to prevent any untoward incidents.

Despite repeated requests from the press, Khalid refused to name the groups but confirmed that Mohd Ali Baharom, better known as Ali Tinju, was arrested at the event.

"The man started to cause chaos even before entering the hall; we were forced to arrest him and (later released him on police) bail," he noted.

Mohd Ali is best known for the 'posterior exercise' protest ( photo ) in front of former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan's home in 2012.

Khalid also denied suggestions that the police had cancelled the event to provide an excuse for Najib to give it a miss.

"No such thing; it was my decision. The prime minister didn't know about this initially.

"He wasn't happy with my action when I informed him, but I have to persist for the sake of (his) safety," said Khalid during a hastily called press conference in Bukit Aman.

 

Cops may not be able to contain 'chaos'

"We anticipated the public order will be threatened and this (chaos) will spread," he said.

 

The vocal top cop admitted the police may not be able to contain the planned disturbance.

 

"It is better that we prevent this than letting the incident happen. Increasing the security manpower on the ground may not necessarily stop the chaos they have planned," he explained.

 

He, however, declined to comment what kind of chaos, saying that the attendees' safety and public order were at stake. 

 

"We will monitor the groups and take whatever action if needed," he said.

 

He rubbished claims that the police had violated the right of the public to attend an event of public interest.

 

"My responsibility is clear under the Police Act – that I am responsible for the safety of the country, public, and (public) assets. I exercise my power to take care of their safety," he said.

 

The police will not hesitate to stop any event when tipped off that public safety is at stake, he added.

 

The dialogue titled ‘Nothing to Hide: PM's Dialogue with NGOs’ held this morning was organised by Umno-linked Malaysian Volunteer Lawyers Association (Sukaguam).

A 2,000-strong crowd attended the event, organised for NGOs and civil society groups to grill Najib on current issues.

 

Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad turned up at the event, while Najib made a U-turn in deciding not to attend.