Threatening IGP an ‘insolent’ act — Analysts

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KUALA LUMPUR: Threatening the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, is an ‘insolent’ act and those responsible should be penalised, said Malaysian Crime Prevention Awareness Board president Datuk Seri Dr Saharuddin Awang Yahya.

When commenting on the video clips featuring three masked men calling themselves ‘Anak Malaysia Anti Demokrasi’ who threatened to kill the IGP by blowing up his car, Saharuddin said the act challenged the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM).

“Appropriate legal action should be taken against the group so that this matter will not recur in the future. The authorities need to take this case seriously because it can undermine the credibility of the police in the eyes of the public.

“The irresponsible action of this group not only tarnishes the image of the police but even provoked anger among the people… everyone should respect the police,” he said when contacted by Bernama here yesterday.

A few days ago, the video, lasting one minute and 27 seconds, went viral on social networking site YouTube, threatening to kill the IGP by blowing up his car. The video clip shows the three masked with one of them uttering seditious remarks and threats.

In a statement on Wednesday, Khalid said that as an IGP he was not scared or intimidated by the death threat. Such intimidations are common for police officers when performing their duties.

Khalid said police were working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in monitoring the group’s activities and were in the midst of identifying its members.

In this regard, Saharuddin reminded any individual, for that matter, to be vigilant when issuing statements or releasing videos that could threaten public order.

Meanwhile, crime analyst Kamal Affandi Hashim said the use of social media like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter by certain groups was more of a propaganda to spread their ideology.

“Maybe this group is funded by certain individuals seeking to express dissatisfaction against an institution or person. The group which released the video was probably swayed by trends from Western countries,” he said.

He added that the video might have been released to promote the group or an individual to attract the attention of many. — Bernama