The government will stop airing the programme on the Memali tragedy with immediate effect following the National Fatwa Councils advice to all parties to refrain from politicising the issue, said Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today.

We will abide by the Councils recommendation...otherwise people will still be left in confusion as to what really happened, he told reporters after attending the first Parliament sitting for this year.

Yesterday, the Councils chairperson Dr Ismail Ibrahim had urged all parties to stop playing up the Memali issue and not use it for political gains.

Ibrahim said if the issue was played up it will only lead to confusion among the people.

In view of this, the deputy premier said, we will stop airing the programme with immediate effect.

The 1985 Memali tragedy left 18 people killed, including four police personnel, during a clash between villagers and security forces.

The government claimed that religious teacher and PAS member Ibrahim Libya had instilled anti-government sentiments and incited the villagers to clash with the police.

Ibrahim was also killed in the incident and later hailed as a martyr by PAS.

Too late

Meanwhile, PAS President Fadzil Noor today expressed his displeasure at the delayed reaction by the National Fatwa Council.

It is now too late to retract the airing [of Memali]. The damage has already been done.

Now that they [the Barisan Nasional government] have achieved their objective, only then do they decide to stop the programme, he said.

The opposition leader added that the party will wait and see if the ruling government really keeps to its word.