My apology to the Sikh community

Police reports have been made against me. I have also received numerous threats. But that is not why I am apologising for my quip that Amar Singh Ishar Singh’s turban may be too tight.

I was told a Sikh’s turban is a very sacred item and they do not take too kindly to anyone making fun of it. For that I would like to sincerely apologise.

I also sent personal apologies to Gobind Singh Deo and Amarjit Sidhu. These two, plus Manjeet Singh Dhillon and the late Karpal Singh, acted as my lawyers during my various trials and ISA detention ten years ago back in 2008. They also helped me in other ways, which I am not at liberty to mention, and which helped me to settle down in the UK after I left Malaysia in February 2009.

And they all did this without me asking (they volunteered their services), and without asking for a single sen in payment. I will be eternally grateful to Gobind, Amarjit, Manjeet and the late Karpal. So would I want to repay them by insulting their Sikh faith?

Kenang budi is supposed to be a Malay trait and virtue. To insult the faith of those who did so much for you and asked for nothing in return is not kenang budi. It is the opposite of kenang budi.

I can argue that I did not consider my quip an insult to the Sikh faith or that this was not my intention. But it is not what I intended that matters but how what I said was received. And I also apologise to Amar Singh Ishar Singh because, as much as I may disagree with him, that disagreement should not be reduced to the level of insulting his religion.

THREE OF MY PANEL OF LAWYERS