Karpal: I didn't insult Islam
Malaysiakini.com
Apr 28, 2008
Athi Veeranggan

The Penang police have asked their Johor counterparts to investigate a death threat made on a PAS Johor-related website against DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh.
MCPX

Penang acting chief police officer Salleh Mat Rasid said although a police report on the threat was lodged by Karpal in Penang, the case was being referred to Johor police because the alleged threat was made in the state.

karpal singh kelantan regent seditious police report 280408 05Karpal, also the Bukit Gelugor member of Parliament lodged the report against the commentator at the website for threatening his life. The veteran politician also lodged another report against the Regent of Kelantan for allegedly committing sedition.

Accompanied by Seri Delima state assemblyperson, RSN Rayer, the veteran politician lodged the separate police reports at Central Police Station in Penang police contingent headquarters on Saturday afternoon.

The first report was against 'Alif' for issuing death threat to Karpal on issue of Islamic state.

Alif has posted his call for Muslims to kill Karpal on the Pas Johor website shoutbox on April 24.

Karpal said the statement amounted to incitement to murder, adding that Alif had misconstrued his statements on the issue of Islamic state.
    
Report against the regent

The second report was against the Regent of Kelantan,Tengku Mohammad Faris Petra Sultan Ismail Petra for saying that the special rights and privileges of Malays were quid pro quo (in return of) providing citizenship for 2.7 million people of other races upon independence.

The regent allegedly uttered the statement in his opening address at a Malay unity gathering held in conjunction with the Maulidur Rasul celebration at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on April 13, 2008.

bbpm tengku faris 120408 tengku farisIn his address, the Regent has allegedly said that nobody shall challenge the Malay rights and privileges and that these incidents were becoming apparent following the recent general election.

"It's not appropriate for other races to demand equal rights and privileges after they had already acquired their citizenships," said Tengku Mohammad Faris Petra.

However, Karpal had hit back by saying that Tengku Mohammad Faris Petra was under complete misconception that special rights and privileges of Malays were given in return of citizenship granted to non-Malays in 1957.

"The theory behind the protection on the rights and privileges of Malays under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution upon independence was that if the Malays were not specially favoured in government employment, scholarships and other matters provided for, they would be completely overwhelmed by other racial groups, particularly the Chinese, who had already controlled the country's economy and dominated professions," Karpal had said.

Relating to this, a Kelantanese trader on Friday lodged a police report against both Karpal and MCA president Ong Ka Ting for allegedly making seditious remarks and rebuking the statements of the Regent of Kelantan.

Suharto Mat Nair, 41, from Kampung Slow Machang in Pasir Mas, said that both Karpal and Ong had gone overboard with their remarks, which he deemed as offensive towards the Malay rulers and Malays.

However, in his report, Karpal said it was Tengku Mohammad Faris Petra who had committed sedition, not him.

‘I didn't insult Islam’

karpal singh kelantan regent seditious police report 280408 04Karpal also clarified that his stand against the Islamic state should not be equated to him being against Islam.

"I was against PAS agenda to form an Islamic state in Malaysia," he said.

Johor PAS commissioner Dr Mahfodz Mohamad has clarified the comment posted was not the stand of the state party.

However, Johor DAP vice-chairman Norman Fernandez said it was unacceptable for the message to be posted in a PAS website when Pakatan Rakyat, in which DAP, PAS and PKR were partners, was trying to introducing a new era in politics.

Concurring with Norman's remarks, Karpal said PAS has "missed the point".

He was unhappy that PAS allowed such a remark inciting killing of a parliamentarian to appear on a website related to it.

"PAS should not have allowed it and should have removed such remarks from the website immediately," said Karpal.

He fired back against his critics saying that those who raised the issue of Islamic state were committing sedition and was going against the federal constitution and its spirit.

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