KANGAR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday strongly condemned the statement by PKR vice-president Tian Chua accusing Umno of having orchestrated the gun battle with armed intruders in Lahad Datu, Sabah.
He said the allegation was a despicable political game by the opposition to garner the people’s support in view of the approaching general election.
“They (the opposition) are accusing the government of staging a drama. It is a great lie and falsehood. Even in the Memali incident, the opposition put the blame on the government.
“We (the government) did not do any such thing. We never politicise our security because it involves human lives,” he said when launching the Perlis-level “Promises Fulfilled” tour programme, here.
(In the Memali incident of Nov 19, 1985, eighteen people were killed, many injured and hundreds arrested by police during an attempt to arrest a religious scholar, Ibrahim Mahmud or better known as Ibrahim Libya, in Kampung Memali in Kedah.)
Najib, accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, is on a one-day visit to Perlis. Also present at the event was Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Md Isa Sabu.
“Even in the Sauk incident, the blame was put on us. We cannot stage a drama where human lives are involved, like in Lahad Datu,” the prime minister said, adding that no one would want to be cast to get killed.
(In the Sauk incident, members of the Al-Ma’unah militant group robbed two army camps in Grik of a huge cache of weapons on July 2, 2000, before fleeing to their hideout in Bukit Jenalek, Sauk, near Kuala Kangsar, Perak.
(The episode ended with the surrender of 27 members of the group on July 6 and the deaths of one criminal and two security personnel who were taken hostage by the group.)
Najib said people who were merciless and had no regard for humanitarian values were prepared to commit despicable acts and tell lies, and they could not be accepted as leaders.
“We must say that all the security forces would be defended because they are risking their lives. The nation’s fighters should be acclaimed, not humiliated and debunked. So, do not play politics on the question of security,” he said.
Tian Chua had reportedly told the KeadilanDaily online portal on March 1 that the shooting in Lahad Datu was believed to be a “planned conspiracy of the Umno government” to divert attention and intimidate the people.
Najib said he and his wife were driven to tears when consoling the widows of the two police commandos who were killed in a skirmish with the armed intruders in the defence of the nation’s sovereignty.
The children of these fallen heroes would be growing up without a father’s love and guidance, he said.
Najib also said that the time had come for Malaysians to determine a government which could safeguard their interests and promise a better future. — Bernama