Police report and protest against Zaid questioning Sultan’s power
(The Star) – Subang Umno has lodged a police report against Datuk Zaid Ibrahim for questioning the Sultan of Selangor’s right to issue a directive prohibiting the use of mosques in the state for political activities.
Its deputy head Abd Raof Abdullah said Zaid who is PKR political bureau chief should not question Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s right to issue the directive as it was considered rude and disloyal.
“Zaid should not have compared Sultan Sharafuddin to the Malacca Sultanate. Our members want Zaid to apologise to the Sultan on the matter,” he said after lodging the report at Kota Damansara police station Thursday.
Zaid in his latest blog posting said the Sultan’s statement on the matter was a personal opinion and could not be considered a directive as it was never gazetted.
He also said that under the system of constitutional monarchy which is practised in Malaysia, a ruler of a state could not issue a directive or a decree as that practised during the Malacca Sultanate.
“The personal view expressed by the Sultan should be considered only as a good advice aimed at every one and not targeted any group or individual.
“Thus, the question of Nik Aziz (PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat) going against the Sultan’s decree as claimed by Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) does not arise at all. In fact, many other people are also in disagreement with the Sultan over this matter,” Zaid said in his blog posting.
In a related development, a group of about 20 people had gathered in front of the PKR headquarters and burned an effigy of Zaid.
Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed said the group left the area when the police arrived.
The police, he said, had earlier received information that a group of people had gathered in front of the party’s headquarters and a team was sent to investigate.
No one was arrested over the incident.
Sultan Sharafuddin had directed the police not to allow the mosques to be used for political activities in the run-up to the Hulu Selangor by-election last month.
