Apologise or there will be trouble, Umno warns Tian
PKR vice-president Tian Chua, who is scheduled to speak in a Pakatan Rakyat ceramah (talk) in Penang to commemorate the five year anniversary of March 8, has been cautioned to be "careful".
PKR vice-president Tian Chua, who is scheduled to speak in a Pakatan Rakyat ceramah (talk) in Penang to commemorate the five year anniversary of March 8, has been cautioned to be "careful".
It is learnt that Tian Chua is not on the speakers’ list for the event, but Penang Umno wants to see him issue an apology during the ceramah.
On March 8, 2008, Pakatan swept five states in the general election - including Penang - bringing BN to its worst defeat in years.
State Umno Youth Shaik chief Hussein Mydin wants Tian to apologise for his alleged " sandiwara " statement about the current Sabah attack published on March 1 in PKR party organ Suara Keadilan , or "he may face problems here".
"It is better that he comes here and apologise. People are angry with him, especially the police community," Shaik Hussein (
right
) told
Malaysiakini.
"I am afraid that when he comes, there would be a problem. The BN will not organise any protest against him, but we cannot control others," he warned.
"If anything happens to Tian Chua, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng must take full responsibility for this."
The Pakatan ceramah, which will feature opposition leader and PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Lim, is supposed to take off at 4pm at the Esplanade tomorrow.
Tian Chua's purported statement had earned him many police reports lodged against him nationwide, following the article's publication in which he was quoted as claiming that the Lahad Datu attacks were merely "a sandiwara " (drama) by Umno.
On March 4, about 300 retired police personnel staged a peaceful demonstration at the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur, expressing support for the government's handling of the armed intrusion in Sabah and condemning Tian Chua's controversial statement.
The intrusion and ensuing skirmishes resulted in the deaths of eight policemen by armed intruders claiming to be from the Filipino ‘Royal Sulu Army' in Kampung Tanduo near Lahad Datu and Semporna on March 1 and 2.
'No verification at the time'
In a press conference today, Tian Chua said there were previous reports claiming that Anwar and him had met Filipino leaders as alleged by certain Umno-owned media and bloggers before the incursion.
"I said it in the context of a media blackout over what is happening in Sabah, and the conspiracy to pin Anwar (
left
) and him with the incursion," told the Batu MP, whose real name is Chua Tian Chang.
He stressed that at the time the remark was made, there was no verification on the attacks and deaths.
"I only said there is a conspiracy by the Umno government to divert the attention of Sabahans from the giving of identity cards to foreigners, and I was not referring to the attacks," he added.
Shaik Hussein said that Umno of Penang BN is not out to create chaos in any Pakatan events. However, many youths were not happy with Tian Chua's actions at the moment.
When asked what kind of problems would Tian Chua face if he does not apologise, Shaik Hussein reiterated that "there would be problems, not from BN, but we cannot control others".
"If Tian Chua has made a mistake, just apologise instead of dragging on this matter further," he added.
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