The Malaysian Insider

By Clara Chooi

IPOH, Oct 29 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is now alleging that the violent attacks they were subjected to during yesterday’s chaotic assembly sitting were a part of a carefully thought-out conspiracy by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to pull wool over the eyes of the media.

Ousted Speaker V. Sivakumar told a press conference today that the BN’s clever plan was to create a “blind spot” for the media before launching their physical attack on the PR assemblymen.

He also lashed out at Perak police chief Datuk Pahlawan Deputy Comm Zulkifli Abdullah for denying in the press that the PR lawmakers had been roughed up in the basement parking lot of the State Secretariat yesterday.

“All the media (without assembly passes) were blocked from entering through the gates of the secretariat building, right? They placed the police and the federal reserve unit personnel at the entrance and the media were blocked from entering.

“Why? Because they had already planned to attack us in the parking lot and they knew that the media standing outside would not be able to witness it,” he said at a press conference at the Perak DAP headquarters here.

Sivakumar, who drew a map of the state secretariat to illustrate his point, explained that the PR assemblymen experienced the first sign of the conspiracy when upon entry past the secretariat gates, they refused to follow the route to the state assembly hall that the police were leading them to.

“We wanted to use the lift at the back and not the one to the left side, through the parking lot. They tried to make us turn back but we kept walking.,

“So, when we entered, instead of following the police escort who was leading us to the left, we walked straight to the back,” said Sivakumar.

At the lift, he said, several policemen tried to grab his songkok, which was a part of the official Speaker’s ceremonial robe.

“That was the first block. Furthermore, the lift there was already locked and jammed. So we had to retreat eventually,” he said, adding that that was when the PR assemblymen went back to the secretariat’s entrance to complain to the media.

“And then, the police came out saying ‘no, we are not blocking you from entering, please come in again’. So we went back inside,” said Sivakumar.

This time however, the PR assemblymen had no choice but to follow their police escort.

“They told us to follow them to use the side lift and explained that the other lift was spoiled. Now we know why they told us that. They wanted us to walk through the basement parking lot because their men were already stationed there, waiting,” said Sivakumar.

On Tuesday, one day before the assembly sitting, The Malaysian Insider sighted notices tacked on all notice-boards in the state secretariat, informing the staff to ensure that the basement parking lot was empty for the sitting yesterday.

The notice claimed that the purpose was to ensure the assembly proceedings ran smoothly.

Meanwhile, Sivakumar said that the moment the PR assemblymen entered the parking lot, a horde of policemen mobbed him to grab his Speaker’s robe and began to fight with all 28 PR assemblymen.

“They even had their people there, snapping photographs and recording videos. The mass media however, were not there. Why? Because those without passes were stuck outside the secretariat building while those with passes were already made to enter the assembly hall before us.

“So those in the assembly were just sitting in the hall, waiting for our arrival, and none of them were able to record or witness what was happening downstairs,” said Sivakumar.

During yesterday’s sitting, BN assemblymen and Speaker Datuk R. Ganesan were allowed to enter the hall first while the media were made to enter at 9.30am.

PR assemblymen, on the other hand, were asked come in last, at 9.55am, just five minutes before the commencement of the sitting at 10am.

In the parking lot, Sivakumar said he was jostled roughly, pulled in all directions and strangled to a point that he could not breathe. In fact, he added that he even had to seek hospital treatment after the incident.

Simpang Pulai assemblyman Chan Ming Kai, who was also at the press conference today, said he was dragged by his hands on the cement floor when he tried to save Sivakumar. When he tried to grab back the Speaker’s robe that the police had successfully confiscated, he was grabbed and slammed onto the bonnet of a car.

“All this was not witnessed by the media. This is why (Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr) Zambry (Abd Kadir) can so confidently deny that it happened — because they knew that the media were not there to record the incident.

“What is he talking about though? He cannot talk because he was there and he did not see it,” said Sivakumar.

After the sitting yesterday, Zambry scoffed at PR’s claims of being roughed up by the police and said they were just acting out a drama.

“You think I simply tore my own robe so I can go and show it to the press? Why would I do that?” said Sivakumar.

Sivakumar also lambasted the BN government for allowing the appointment of at least 22 sergeants-at-arms to protect Ganesan and for blocking the representatives from bring in cameras and video recorders into the sitting.

“During my time, it was so difficult to even hire one sergeant-at-arms. The State Secretary told me that no, not anyone could simply come into the hall. This time, Ganesan has 22 people guarding him. Why is he so special?

“And then, even the police blocked us from bringing in cameras and video equipment. They said it was for safety reasons. I am not bringing a pistol into the House. What is so dangerous about a camera? Whose safety are they guarding here?

“They were just blocking us because they did not want us to record the violence,” he said.

Although pressmen had not been at the scene to witness the incident, someone still managed to record a video and photograph the incident.

The pictures were today splattered all over newspapers and the video, which especially highlights how Chan was dragged, has also been posted online.

“So is DCP Zulkifli saying that the newspapers are lying?” challenged Sivakumar.

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