KUALA LUMPUR: DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang yesterday called for a full investigation into the “Black Tuesday” episode and the “Week of Long Knives Operation” in July 2015 to learn the lessons from this dark chapter in the six decades of democracy in Malaysia to ensure that these events would not be repeated in the future.
The Member of Parliament for Iskandar Puteri claimed that the events triggered by both represented the most serious, deplorable and disgraceful attack on the democratic principles of the Malaysian Constitution and the independence, impartiality and professionalism of all the important national institutions in the history of the country.
The “Black Tuesday and the “Week of Long Knives Operation” relate to the 1MDB scandal and the sacking of three key figures then, namely Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
Muhyiddin is now president of Bersatu which together with DAP, PKR and Amanah formed the Pakatan Harapan coalition. In alliance with Mohd Shafie’s Warisan party, the coalition swept into power in the 14th general election in May last year, thus leaving former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak with the ignominy of causing Barisan Nasonal’s defeat after six decades of ruling the country.
The former AG is now a barrister at law, Muhyiddin is Home Minister and Mohd Shafie the Chief Minister of Sabah.
He said these dark events should never be allowed to recur in the future and is the reason why the fullest light must be allowed to expose all the nooks and corners of the Federal Government that allowed such a dastardly chapter in the history of Malaysian democracy to happen.
“The Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should present a White Paper on the “Week of Long Knives in July/August 2015” at the July sitting of Parliament,” Lim said in a statement.
Apart from that, Lim also questioned the availability of the website (https://therecounter.wordpress.com/2015/07/) which still could be opened until today.
He said the website played an important role in the campaign to spread a regime of terror among top political and government leaders.
“This website made its first appearance with an article headlined “Ops Lalang 2015: Special Branch Leads Investigation into Conspirators”, making the most ludicrous and outrageous allegations implicating top officers in government, especially key officers in three of the four “Special Task Force” investigating 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion in Prime Minister (former) Najib Razak’s personal bank accounts.
“It reached a stage where anyone who wants to have a change of prime minister or government was liable to be investigated, arrested and charged under Section 124B for “activities detrimental to Parliamentary Democracy” which was a total betrayal of the precepts and principles of parliamentary democracy as well as declared Parliamentary and Ministerial intentions in enacting Section 124B of the Penal Code,” he said. – Bernama
