Tan Sri Khalid Abu BakarKUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 (Bernama) — Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar Tuesday warned ‘certain quarters’ against politicising or manipulating the arrest of lawyer Eric Paulsen.
“Do not do anything with malice and conspire to foment racial and religious sentiments in the name of freedom that can damage and destroy the fabric of the cosmopolitan society,” he said.
Paulsen was arrested in accordance with the law to maintain the harmony and peace among the people of various races and religions, he said in a statement.
Paulsen, co-founder of the human rights and law reform initiative ‘Lawyers for Liberty’, was arrested at 9.40 pm Monday in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, as tweeted by Khalid.
The lawyer is alleged to have claimed in a Twitter post that the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM) promoted extremism through Friday sermons. The tweet was said to have been removed after it drew criticism from various quarters.
Khalid said the people should not take lightly the peace in the country and should refrain from harping on racial and religious sensitivities as they would lead to serious security implications.
“The police will take firm action against anyone who breaks the law in this country so as to protect the right and freedom of the people to live in peace without instigation by parties that have any implicit agenda,” he said.
Meanwhile, PAS has welcomed the arrest as appropriate.
Its information chief, Datuk Mahfuz Omar, said it was improper for anyone to question any religion that could sour relations in the multiracial society in the country.
“If there had been any sermon that smacked of extremism … please identify it; when was it delivered, what was the topic,” he told reporters.
Mahfuz said it was better for the matter to be left to the authorities to investigate.
In KUALA TERENGGANU, Terengganu UMNO Youth criticised the Bar Council for what it said was its silence over Paulsen’s alleged remarks about JAKIM.
Its head, Mohd Johari Abu Bakar, called on the government to review the role of the council and determine whether it was appropriate for a lawyer to get involved in partisan politics.
The government should prevent the professionalism and integrity of lawyers from being contaminated by certain elements, he added.
Meanwhile, the Terengganu PAS Liaison Committee, through state PAS commissioner Satiful Bahri Mamat, called on the government to take firm action in the matter.
–BERNAMA
