Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar is adamant that police will question "a reporter" from Malaysiakini to back his claim that the news portal had published an "irresponsible" report last Sunday during the Hulu Selangor polls.

NONE This is despite Malaysiakini refuting the claim and denying that it had generated any such report.

English-language daily Star , in its print and online editions yesterday, had quoted Khalid as saying that a statement would be recorded over the purported report.

Last Sunday, Bernama had quoted Khalid as saying: "I deny the report, which can cause fear in voters, and we will lodge a police report against the media and call up the reporter."

NONE When contacted for verification of his comments, Khalid stood by the remarks attributed to him.

"That was a sensitive time. If you publish news like that, people might be scared and not come out to vote," he said, adding it was "irresponsible".

He brushed aside the clarification that Malaysiakini had not published the purported report.

"You guys did have that news out, it is only that you then quickly took it out again.

"We have a printout of the article," he insisted.

Khalid said the matter was brought to his attention "by another reporter who told us, they saw your report and reported it".

"If need be, we will call you to clarify. You just refer to what I said yesterday, like it was reported in Star ," he added.

Allegation 'not true'

Malaysiakini chief editor Fathi Aris Omar strongly refuted the allegation, saying there was no article stating that '25 people were arrested' or about people 'carrying dangerous weapons' to polling centres.

NONE "After checking with all the editors who worked to provide 'live' reports on the Hulu Selangor by-election last Sunday, I am satisfied that no such report was published in any of the three language sections of Malaysiakini ,” he said.

"As such, there is also no basis to the claim that we 'took out' the article."

 

The reporter who is said to have informed the Selangor CPO about the purported report may have made a mistake, he added.