Dr M has made a stupid allegation, says Nazri
(FMT) – The minister denies that Putrajaya ordered Maria Chin’s detention under Sosma.
Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz has rejected former PM Mahathir Mohamad’s allegation that Bersih chief Maria Chin Abdullah’s detention is politically motivated.
Speaking to FMT, Nazri said the decision to arrest a person for security reasons has always been entirely up to the police.
He said Mahathir, as a former prime minister, should know better than to accuse the Putrajaya administration of ordering the arrest.
He reminded Mahathir of the 1987 Ops Lalang, a security crackdown which saw many opposition leaders and activists nabbed under the now repealed Internal Security Act (ISA).
“The then IGP gave Mahathir a list of those he wanted to arrest under ISA,” he said. “Mahathir, who was the prime minister at the time, knew he had no say over the matter. It’s the IGP’s call because security is not an issue that can be compromised.”
