ALOR STAR: The apology by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will not weaken calls to expedite the establishment of a Royal Commission on Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the 1985 Memali incident.
Kedah Pas deputy commissioner Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the formation of the RCI should instead be accelerated to uncover the truth behind the bloody incident which claimed the life of 14 civilians and four policemen.
He said the setting up of an RCI on Memali is paramount in order to bring justice to the family members of those who lost their lives in the violent clash between civilians and the police force which took place during Dr Mahathir's time as prime minister.
Sanusi, who also leads a special committee to seek justice for the Memali victims in Kedah, said the committee and the victims' relatives strongly believe that the bloody incident 33 years ago was the result of a grave mistake by Dr Mahathir's administration.
"We totally agree with the call by former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam for the setting up of the RCI to investigate Memali, even if it can only be formed after the 14th General Election (GE14).
"However, we are still harbouring hope that it will be expedited without further delay," he said.
gn4id:28386382
Sanusi said it is crucial for the RCI on Memali to be expedited as those involved in the tragedy are still alive, including Dr Mahathir, Musa, Tan Sri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad (then Home Minister), Tunku Muszaffar Shah (former Baling police chief) and many others, including the family members of the victims.
"We are worried that more witnesses would no longer be available if the RCI is not formed anytime soon. In fact, two days ago, the widow of a Memali victim passed away and this is a huge loss since she could have appeared as a witness," he said.
Sanusi also chided Dr Mahathir for making a show of issuing a apology while delivering his policy speech at the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) inaugural delegates assembly two days ago, but at the same time, shoving the blame to others.
"He (Dr Mahathir) said he was sorry but then he put the blame on others including digging up old issues such as 'Amanat Hadi'.
"So what does his apology mean if he is still blaming others for what had happened?"
'Amanat Hadi' is a Pas’ decree, issued by Pas' Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang who had allegedly stated that those who supported Barisan Nasional were infidels.
In his speech, Dr Mahathir blamed the muftis at the time for not countering 'Amanat Hadi' when it became public in 1980s, which he claimed was the reason which influenced those involved in the Memali tragedy to engage in a violent confrontation with the police.
In the Memali incident on Nov 19, 1985, violence erupted when villagers resisted the police’s attempt to arrest religious teacher and local Pas leader Ibrahim Mahmud, better known as Ibrahim Libya, under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for deviant teachings, an allegation rejected by Pas.
Dr Mahathir was prime minister at the time of the incident in Kampung Memali, Baling in Kedah that saw a confrontation between police and Ibrahim and his supporters.
Sanusi reiterated the committee's seven demands, which among others, include calling for the government to admit its mistake in handling the Memali issue and to issue an apology to victims and their family members; the formation of the RCI to investigate the tragedy in a fair and transparent manner without political interference; and to recommend those responsible behind the incident to be charged in court.
"We are also demanding for the Memali White Paper to be corrected to reflect the truth and not the 'Mahathir version', where all mistakes were covered up by false reports.
"The family members of the victims should be compensated for their losses while the property and cash belonging to the madrasah should be returned and the victims' names cleared from any wrongdoing."
Translated from Berita Harian