PETALING JAYA, Aug 15 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed’s latest claim that greater civil liberties equal more gun violence was tagged today as “ridiculous” and irresponsible by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers, who argued that the two issues are unrelated.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke said the elder statesman’s claim - that greater civil liberties would inhibit the police’s ability to handle crime - was merely posturing to buttress the argument for reinstatement of preventive laws such as the Emergency Ordinance (EO).

“The recent spate of shootings were not because of increased freedom. These two things are not related,” he said when contacted.

“The question should be directed at the police, at the weaknesses of policing, redeployment of personnel, why there are so many guns available in the country.

“This is not just about the IPCMC, it’s the whole approach to policing. These are the questions Malaysians need to focus on and not some ridiculous comments,” Loke (picture) said.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar noted that nothing has been done to deal with persistent allegations regarding the purported relationship between the police and established triad groups in the country.

“I would argue that the spate of shootings bring forth the issue of collusion between the PDRM and existing tiad groups. What has been the track record thus far in controlling the underworld?

“To date, there has been many SDs (statutory declarations) made accusing (the) police (of) taking money from triad kings... wither the IPCMC to lay such illegal transactions to rest?” she said in a text message.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said that if it were true that some 260,000 criminals now roam the country following the repeal of the EO - as claimed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi - it only proves that the law was a failure.

“This means the EO itself has failed because even with the leaders detained, these groups continued to exist. Do not blame freedom.

"The blame lies in the lack of education of society in handling crime prevention and the lack of skills and expertise in the police force,” he said.

Earlier today, Dr Mahathir, whose 22-year administration was known for its tight control on dissent, added that Malaysians would have to pay the price if they wanted to enjoy a more liberal brand of democracy which also entails freedom to take the streets.

He also hinted that the absence of preventive laws could lead to the chaos similar to what is currently taking place in Egypt, citing the recent spates of shootings as an example.

"I think Malaysians are nice people, they don't like killing each other except that killings nowadays are more frequent. Everyday somebody gets shot.

"But that's the price of freedom. The price of being free is you must accept..the price of freedom, of liberalism, of being able to say what you like the price is people get killed, people get shot," he said.