Penang Umno Youth members only attacked political cartoonist Zunar’s exhibition in Komtar when Zunar refused to remove artworks lampooning Prime Minister Najib Razak, the wing’s chief Rafizal Abd Rahim said today.

Rafizal admitted he led the delegation of state Umno Youth members to Komtar to see Zunar in October last year, to demand that he removes those cartoons he said were “incriminating”.

The wing’s youths attacked Zunar that day, but it was Zunar who was arrested and remanded for a day under the Sedition Act.

“At the time, he was not so friendly, and that is when our boys started shouting and the situation became quite tense,” Rafizal told Malaysiakini in an interview.

“If, at the first request, he removed the pictures we wanted removed, the situation would not have ended up as how it did at the exhibition that day,” he said.

“We advised him that it would make our supporters very angry; we didn't ask for all the photos to be removed.

“Eventually, he removed all the cartoons, but only after going through the incident with us.”

Rafizal said Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, should have held the exhibition without challenging the police or Umno.

So when Zunar planned another exhibition on Beach Street on July 30, Penang Umno youths wanted to pay him another visit, he said.

But Zunar aborted the exhibition, titled “Ketawa Pink-Pink”, out of fear the youths would disrupt his event again, Rafizal added.

“We did not attack him when he did the book launch at Black Kettle on Beach Street on June 10. So as long as he does not challenge the police, by holding an event without a permit or challenging us by putting up cartoons of our PM, we will not disturb him,” he said.

“We were merely responding to his challenge.”

Rafizal also rejected the allegation that Umno was practising double standards in carrying out its demonstrations or rallies as party leaders had, in the past, said that such acts “are not our culture”.

'Demonstrations are freedom of expression'

He said Umno Youth agrees that demonstrations are part of freedom of expression and in Penang, the wing only organises rallies on one issue.

“As per my term, from 2013 until now, we have rallied to ensure we do not have a corrupt leader in Penang,” Rafizal said.

“Our demonstrations are confined to ensuring he resigns immediately after being charged in court,” he said, referring to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s corruption case over the purchase of his bungalow on Jalan Pinhorn.

“Our demonstrations are different from Bersih’s, which wants to remove the federal government. We just want to remove a corrupt leader.

“We know the police will not give us a permit but we will do it briefly, and after our message is delivered, we will disperse peacefully, with no damage to the public.”

Rafizal also denied that Umno Youth practises double standards in asking Guan Eng to resign but not Najib, who is saddled with the scandals and international investigations over financial irregularities of the 1MDB.

For him, what Najib faces are merely “gossips, highlighted in the social media”.

“It becomes a big issue when it goes viral, but anyone who asks why we did not ask the PM to resign, I want to put the same question back to them.

“Please let us know which court has charged our PM. If there is a court that has changed our PM, we will do the same.

“I don't think we have to do it (ask Najib to reisgn) because if he is charged, he will automatically resign, for a normal person who holds a high post will do the same, except for this CM,” he added.

Although Lim has persistently claimed that his case was politically motivated and a conspiracy by BN to topple him, Rafizal said the CM should be consistent in his actions.

“The DAP has clamoured for BN leaders to resign when they were implicated in scandals or charged in court, so he (Lim) should do the same”.