Govt assures people of order during and after polls

(Bernama) – Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today assured the people the authorities would maintain peace and order at all costs should there be attempts to create chaos during and after the next general election.

He said the police would act impartially and according to the law to maintain order.

“Anyone who violates the law will be prosecuted to ensure the safety of the innocent. The safety of the people is of paramount importance,” he told reporters after a walkabout in Taman Sri Lambak to meet the local people.

Hishammuddin was asked to comment on statements by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the opposition political parties might cause chaos if they lose in the next general election.

“I do not discount the possibility of this happening,” he said, adding that that there were groups which would go to any extent in pursuit of their goals.

Hishammuddin also said that the video recording of the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally to be made public on Wednesday would show that not all who participated in the gathering had intended to demonstrate peacefully.

“It is clear that the April 28 incident did not begin on that date but on April 14 when there were attempts to take control of Dataran Merdeka,” he said.

He said the Bersih rally showed how a small group of people could create a situation which could undermine all that had been built over the years.

The minister said the Umno anniversary gathering at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, the gathering of youths in Putrajaya and the PAS gathering at the Darulaman Stadium in Kedah recently proved that assemblies could be held peacefully.