KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — DAP MP Tony Pua today accused the police of selective harassment for picking the teenage son of PKR's Azmin Ali to question out of all the purported "500,000" people who attended Bersih 4 in August.
In a statement, the Petaling Jaya Utara MP also joined other critics in complaining about the timing of the police summon for the 15-year-old school boy, noting that the youth is supposed to start his final examinations in school this week.
"What were the police thinking? It has been two months since the Bersih rally and suddenly, out of the blue, is it merely a sheer coincidence that the police to require Basheer’s attendance on the day of his final exams?"
"Worse, of all the people the Police could summon to assist with the investigations, whether as a suspect or a witness, why summon a 15-year-old boy who just happened to be the son of the Selangor Menteri Besar, Azmin Ali?
"Is the Police going to summon up to 500,000 people who took part in the Bersih rally for investigations?" Pua asked in the statement.
Azmin, who is also PKR deputy president, said yesterday that the police have ordered his 15-year-old son to go to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters today, despite facing final exams in school starting the same day.
In tweets from his Twitter account, Azmin said his child will be investigated over a Bersih rally, but did not specify if it was the rally that took place over two months ago.
Lawyers have since confirmed, however, that the boy would only be required to give his statement after sitting for his examinations.
On September 18, Azmin himself reportedly had his statement recorded at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters over three matters under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012: allegedly wearing the banned yellow Bersih 4 shirt, allegedly bringing his underaged son to a rally and allegedly calling the Inspector-General of Police “barua” Umno, a Malay word meaning “stooge”.
Speaking on behalf of Selangor DAP, which he heads, Pua urged the Home Ministry to be "more professional" in discharging its duties and focus on investigating actual crimes, instead of hauling up those who attended the 34-hour Bersih 4 rally.
"Such high handed police intervention does not assist in shaking off the perception that the police force is politically motivated and that the Barisan Nasional led Federal Government is utilising its every machinery to oppress the Federal Opposition," he said.
