KUALA LUMPUR: Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali has lambasted P. Waytha Moorthy over his recent statements on the temple issue and called for his resignation.
“Waytha Moorthy should instead be the ‘menteri celaka’ (cursed minister) instead of Minister of Unity.
"One minute he’s blaming the police for inaction and the next he has made a U-turn and is praising them, but without apologising for his earlier statement, he said about Waytha Moorthy, who is the Minister of National Unity and Social Wellbeing.
“He should be fired. I also believe his recent statement led to a group in India to claim there were multiple deaths during the riot. He has tarnished the image of our country,”
“Because of him, now there is tension between the races. All these while, all the races have been peaceful,” he said here today before the start of the groups annual general meeting.
Ibrahim was believed to be referring to the Nov 26 attack on the Seafield temple in USJ Subang Jaya by a group of Malay ruffians that Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said had been hired by the developer to force the temple to move.
The attack led to a fracas when Hindus came to defend the temple.
However, several leaders and the police have since said it was not a racial incident, but a land dispute between the temple and developer.
Waytha Moorthy initially claimed that the Subang Jaya police should be probed for being late to arrive to deal with the scuffle which took place at the temple at about 2am on Monday (Nov 26).
However, on Sunday (Dec 1), Waytha Moorthy lauded the police for the "quick action" and highest level of professionalism in handling the temple issue.
Ibrahim added that the minister’s comments were just a way for him to garner political mileage among the Indian public.
A congregation of supporters shouted insults about Waytha Moothy (who was not there) during Ibrahim’s speech outside the Regency Hotel here.
The crowd also called on the minister to step down, in between shouts for all to respect Malay rights.
Ibrahim also said that the Prime Minister should re-evaluate the quota of Indian ministers in his cabinet.
“The Indian population only makes up 7% so why must there be so many Indian ministers. Are there no other capable Malay leaders in Pakatan Harapan?” he said.
Ibrahim also urged the government not to abolish the Sedition Act, for security reasons.
“It has to be maintained. You look at all the cyber troopers and bloggers out there now, insulting Islam using fake names. Before when we still had the ISA, action would have been taken against these people.
“If we still had ISA, these people could had been hauled in for crime prevention. I myself have been hit with the ISA twice but I defend it,” he said, when met before the Perkasa annual general meeting.
He added that if it’s true that the Sedition Act has been placed under a moratorium by the Pakatan government, Perkasa would challenge it in court.
He also thanked the police for keeping the peace at the venue where he was speaking, but warned them to be also take action on other races.
“They have to be fair to everybody. It’s not only the Malays who have to follow the law.
"If it comes to a time when we have to take the law in our own hands, don’t scold us,” he said.
Police presence at the hotel during Perkasa's gathering was noticeable.
No outward incidents occurred and traffic near the hotel was running as normal.
The police did not receive any official notice regarding today’s assembly during Perkasa's annual general meeting.
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