DPM regret cops blamed for ruckus during Bersih rally

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BETONG: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin found it rather unfortunate that the police were blamed for the scores of injuries and the death of taxi driver Baharudin Ahmad during the Bersih 2.0 rally on Saturday.

Explaining that the government had repeatedly reminded the public to avoid participating in the rally and to not go to Kuala Lumpur’s city centre during the demonstration, he said the incidents were bound to happen as Bersih had defied orders to call off the rally.

“I don’t think the police used brutal force. They did things in a proper manner and were careful in executing their duties so that no untoward incident would happen.

“Unfortunately a life was lost but it could not be determined if the deceased was directly involved with the rally. The coroner and police reports revealed that the person suffered from high blood pressure and heart disease,” Muhyiddin told a press conference yesterday.

He was met after officiating the national 2011 Gawai Dayak open house at Rumah Wilson, Penom, Ulu Paku, near here.

Suggesting that it was possible that Baharudin may have suffered some sort of attack during the rally due to his health condition and physical stress endured when crowd control measures  were taken. Muhyiddin however assured that the police would release a detailed report on the matter.

He said it would not be a surprise if the opposition and Bersih would put a spin on the incident to claim police brutality took place on that day and that the authorities were reckless.

Advising the public not to make assumptions, he said he was informed by the police that none of its personnel had any direct involvement with Baharudin’s injury or death.

“We are a democratic country and we only take action based on the law and constitution. Hopefully the public would learn from what transpired during this incident.

“What happened here shows that the group did not respect the king. They lied when they told our
king that there would not be any rally once he granted them their wish for an audience,” he said further.

On the other hand, he said the opposition and those supporting Bersih had defied the law, considering that the government had declared Bersih an illegal organisation from the beginning.

“I do not want to see a repeat of this destructive street politics as I believe that it is against the aspirations of many Malaysians who only want peace, harmony and the preservation of the nation’s unity,” he added.

Regarding injuries reportedly suffered by Pakatan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim allegedly due to tear gas explosion during the rally, Muhyiddin explained that reports from the police indicated that tear gas was never thrown near the PKR de facto leader, adding that no brutal force was ever used on him.

“There were thousands of other demonstrators during the rally. To say that he was specifically targeted by the police is indeed untrue. How can you target one person from the thousands?

“There is a possibility that he might have gotten his cuts and bruises from the commotion during the rally or from some broken glass somewhere,” explained Muhyiddin, adding that it might be self-mutilation to hide his mistakes.

For this brilliant act, he said Anwar certainly deserved an Oscar.