KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said today the federal government will weigh whether or not to set up a royal inquiry into the 1985 Memali incident if there was a formal request.
He added that none had been received to date, news portal Malaysiakini reported today.
“I have not received any recommendations... [If we receive the request] we will leave it to the leadership to handle and see if they are agreeable or not,” he was quoted telling reporters after officiating at an information, communications and technology conference for the logistics sector here.
Salleh was also reported saying the government will have to view any proposal for a Memali inquiry now in the context of “Amanat Hadi” ― a statement issued in 1981 by Datuk Seri Awang Hadi before he became PAS president that supposedly called for a “jihad’ against the Barisan Nasional government.
“The principle here is fairness, and that can be delayed, but it won't be denied,” the minister was quoted saying.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told reporters yesterday that his administration has not ruled out the need for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the 1985 deaths of 14 villagers and four policemen in Memali, Kedah following a standoff against an Islamic sect.
Najib said the government will instead gauge public opinion before deciding if it will establish an RCI into the incident that was previously tabled in a White Paper to Parliament.
The Memali incident was among the most controversial issues during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's 22-year-long administration.
Calls and support for a public inquiry into Memali have been made by politicians from both sides of the divide, including from Dr Mahathir, Hadi and Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
