By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary- General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, 3.9.1987:
DAP condemns the burning of five mosques in Pahang as work of dangerous criminals who must be apprehended to safeguard the harmony, welfare and stability of Malaysia
DAP condemns the burning of five mosques two community halls, and the attempted arson of a surau, in Pahang in recent days as the work of dangerous criminals who must be apprehended and charged with the most severe crimes to safeguard the harmony, welfare and stability of Malaysia.
Pahang Police Chief, Senior Assistant Commissioner Haji Mohamed Som Sulaiman, said the fires at the five mosques and two community halls were the work of arsonists, but the culprits had not been identified yet.
It is surprising that a group of arsonists could bd be able to operate so freely to burn mosques, community halls, and attempted arson of a surau, without being discovered or identified.
It is most important that the Police and the authorities let the people know the group behind the spate of arson of mosques and community halls, for it would be most unhealthy if in the absence of official information, the people allow their imagination to think of the likely culprits for the spate of arson.
In a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation like Malaysia, this would be most undesirable for all sorts of rumours can run rifel.
I dare say without fear of contradiction that the other communities and religious groups are as concerned as the Malays and the Muslims about the spate of arson of mosques in Pahang, for this could lead to misunderstanding and further strain in inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations.
It is for this reason that I call on the Prime Minister who is also Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, not just to wait for a report from the Pahang Government on the spate of arson, but to personally visit the villages concerned and direct a special police task force to be formed to investigate and announce its findings on the culprits in the shortest time possible.
DAP hails Justice Harun’s judgement on issue of printing permits as an important guarantee of Constitutional right of freedom of expression
Mr. Justice Harun Hashim’s judgement in the case on ALIRAN’s right to publish a Bahasa Malaysia fortnightly magazine is an important contribution to give meaning to the Constitutional right and guarantee of freedom of expression.
Mr. Justice Harun said that an application for a permit to publish a newspaper should be granted “ as a matter of course” as there are sufficient laws to protect the public a Government, and punish wrongding.
I call on the Home Ministry to accept Mr. Justice Harum’s judgement as a guideline in all future applications for permits to publish newspapers and magazines. The whole arsenal of laws available to the government to deal with publisher who flout the laws include the Penal Code, Edition Act, and there is no justification whatsoever for the Home Ministry to deny permits to legitimate applications to publish newspapers and magazines.