PONTIAN, Nov 5 — Tanjung Piai's Umno Youth today lodged a police report against Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub over his alleged racist and chauvinistic speech at a vernacular school in Kukup Laut here recently.
Tanjung Piai Umno Youth chief Syahrulzaman Ibrahim said Salahuddin had made the remarks during a closed-door session with voters at SJK (C) Pei Chio.
He said a video clip of the alleged speech which has gone viral on the “Ops Johor” Facebook page, shows Salahuddin saying the country would be in chaos if Barisan Nasional (BN) returned to power, with shootings and arson everywhere.
“I urge the authorities to take immediate action as the remarks were against Section 4A (1) of the Election Offences Act, which concerns the promotion of ill-will and racial hostility.
“We lodged the report so that the video and the individuals who delivered the speech can be investigated,” said Syahrulzaman after lodging the police report at the Pontian district police headquarters here today.
Syahrulzaman was accompanied by Johor Umno Youth chief Mohd Hairi Mad Shah and representatives from state level MCA, PAS and also Tanjung Piai’s MIC division.
Earlier today, Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki criticised Salahuddin for his speech which the former described as racist.
Asyraf urged the Election Commission to take action against Salahuddin, even though the offence was committed by a minister.
Salahuddin, in response, insisted that he did not play up racial sentiments in his speech.
He explained that his speech was misunderstood as a hate speech when he was merely recalling a BN-organised campaign speech in which a PAS speaker labelled Barisan Nasional’s MCA candidate Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng a kafir zimmi (a protected non-Muslim in a Muslim ruled land) and other non-Muslim leaders in Pakatan Harapan as kafir harbi (non-Muslims who are enemies of Islam).
The Tanjung Piai by-election will see a six-cornered contest between Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Karmaine Sardini, BN’s Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng, Gerakan’s Wendy Subramaniam, Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia’s (Berjasa) Datuk Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz and two independent candidates Ang Chuan Lock and Faridah Aryani Abdul Ghaffar.
The by-election was called following the death of incumbent PH’s Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik from Parti Pribimi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) on September 21.
The Election Commision (EC) has set early voting on November 12, while polling is on November 16.
