KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — MCA urged the police today to investigate PKR's Lumut MP Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid for labelling the mourning ceremony for Flight MH17's Malaysian victims "excessive", saying the lawmaker words had hurt their next-of-kin.
In a statement here, MCA Youth secretary-general Leong Kim Soon said Mohamad Imran had shown disrespect with his words, particularly as he had uttered them at a time when the nation was still grieving the deaths of its people aboard the ill-fated jetliner.
"While the nation is mourning, Imran’s politicking has hurt the feelings of the public," Leong said.
"As such he should be investigated by the police for insulting the victims and families of MH17 and for questioning the government’s motives in paying tribute to them."
Leong also demanded that Mohamad Imran apologise for his remarks, first to the victims' family members and finally, to the country.
"As an elected representative, he has failed to understand that this national tragedy has nothing to do with politics, and that the government is not being arrogant in organising a national day of mourning so that the entire nation can grieve for the victims of MH17," the politician said.
He said the military honour accorded to the victims was the government's way of paying tribute to them to give them the dignity they deserved.
Leong reminded Mohamad Imran that the government has also vowed to bring the perpetrators behind the downing of the aircraft to justice, regardless how long it takes.
"Thus, Imran’s behavior in questioning the government’s motives is irrational and a disappointment to the public who had elected him," the MCA man said.
At the PKR national congress yesterday, Mohamad Imran, who is a retired navy first admiral, labelled the national mourning day ceremony for MH17 "excessive" in comparison with the tributes held for soldiers killed in the line of duty.
He also demanded that Putrajaya explain why similar tributes were not given to Malaysian soldiers who were killed in Lahad Datu or Lebanon.
"The victims are soldiers but they are treated like slaves.
"It’s not that we are not satisfied but we see an excessiveness in mourning the victims of MH17," he said PKR’s national congress this afternoon.
"Our fighters in Lebanon and Lahad Datu are not accorded such ceremonies.
"This is what we want the government to explain," he added.
On Friday, a specially arranged flight brought back the remains of MH17’s Malaysian victims to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and in the brief ceremony that followed, armed forces personnel carried 17 coffins and three urns draped in the Malaysian flag to 20 hearses ready to transport the dead to their final resting places.
A minute’s silence was observed after the door to the last hearse was closed, a symbolic start to closure to the second jetliner disaster experienced by the country this year.
A similar ceremony was held today to welcome home the remains of three more victims from the doomed aircraft.
All 298 passengers and crew aboard flight MH17 died when it was downed while en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, leaving a debris trail over several miles in the restive Eastern Ukraine region.
This was the second plane lost by Malaysia Airlines, after flight MH370 disappeared off radars in the twilight hours of March 8 while headed to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.
