Dr M stopped from speaking at Nothing2Hide dialogue, event called off

(The Star) – Police have barred Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad from speaking at the Nothing2Hide dialogue session.

Five minutes into Dr Mahathir’s speech, several police officers stepped on stage to ask the former premier to stop speaking.

The dialogue session between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and NGOs was earlier called off by IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar for safety reasons.

At 10.20 am, organisers, SukaGuam, announced that the event had to be postponed indefinitely after a commotion outside Dewan Tun Hussein Hall here.

“We were informed that a scuffle broke out outside the hall, and one arrest was made by the police.

“We are trying to determine the culprit who provoked the incident. In the meantime, we have no choice but to postpone the event,” a spokesperson for the organisers told the crowd.

The session where  Najib was supposed to answer the public’s queries on 1Malaysia Development Berhad among others was to have begun at 10am.

When Najib did not turn up, former prime minister Dr Mahathir was offered the chance to speak.

Dr Mahathir, who has been very critical of Najib and his administration lately, had turned up at 9.15am.

Earlier, a spokesperson for the organising secretariat tried to placate an increasingly restless crowd inside the hall, saying they were trying to convince the IGP to allow the event to continue.

Khalid had earlier tweeted that the event with Datuk Seri Najib Razak had been called off in the interest of public safety.