ALOR STAR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that the police action to detain Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur at 3 am was due to his unwillingness to cooperate with the police investigation at the police station.
Saifuddin, who is also PKR secretary-general, said that the action was taken after the Perikatan Nasional election director refused to cooperate when the police tried to reach him.
"Sanusi said I am not doing my job. I am doing my job, managing the Immigration Department, the Registration Department, and we take care of the police as well. But when the police do their job, Sanusi gets mad.
"He said he was in contact with the police from 10 pm to 2 am, what sort of communication was that? The police asked if he could come to the police station, but Sanusi said that if they wanted to arrest him, he would not go," he said during his speech at the Jelajah Madani rally in Suka Menanti here yesterday.
Yesterday, Sanusi has disputed Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain's claims that he was unreachable prior to his arrest in the wee hours of July 18.
He claimed to have proof that he was in communication with a police team from Bukit Aman from 10pm on Monday until the early hours of Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said that Sanusi should not have acted in such a manner and should have opt to cooperate with the authorities instead.
"The police will not summon people without reason. Malaysia has 30 million citizens, why would the police single out Sanusi? There must be a reason. The reason is that the Selangor Royal Office filed a report.
"The Selangor Royal Office is not made up of ordinary people. It includes former judge Datuk Seri Mohd Zawawi Salleh and former Auditor General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang. These are selected individuals appointed by the Sultan of Selangor. They understand what's been said (Sanusi's remarks)," he added.
Commenting further, Saifuddin stressed that Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, had already warned politicians not to drag the royal institution into the political arena during the dissolution of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly.
On Tuesday, Sanusi pleaded not guilty to two counts of uttering seditious remarks that could incite disloyalty towards the Rulers.
He was charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act which carries a maximum penalty of three years' jail and RM5,000 fine.
Sanusi, during a PN ceramah in Selayang, was reported to have belittled Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari's appointment by the Sultan of Selangor.
Sanusi also drew comparisons between the Sultan of Kedah (Al-Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah) and the Sultan of Selangor, saying Sultan Sharafuddin's choice was "cokia" (substandard).