Why no action against Akmal over racially charged, divisive statements, says Ramkarpal

Free Malaysia Today

2 days ago

Former deputy law minister Ramkarpal Singh questioned why no action had been taken against Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh despite his 'extreme and unacceptable' statements.
KUALA LUMPUR : Former deputy law minister Ramkarpal Singh has questioned the apparent 'immunity' granted to Dr Akmal Saleh following remarks on the national flag being hoisted upside down, and proposed that the Umno Youth chief be investigated for sedition.
Ramkarpal (PH-Bukit Gelugor) said Akmal had issued several 'extreme and unacceptable' statements, which were divisive and contained racial undertones.
He said such statements had the potential to threaten public order.
'Yet, until now, there has been no action taken by the authorities against Akmal.
'My question is, why? Does he have immunity or privilege from investigation or prosecution?' he said when debating the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat.
Ramkarpal said he had been informed that several police reports have been lodged against Akmal.
He said there were several possible offences that the firebrand politician may have committed.
Apart from possible offences under the Sedition Act, Akmal could be investigated for criminal intimidation, intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace, and statements conducing to public mischief, he said.
'I urge the relevant ministry to respond urgently as to whether action will be taken soon,' Ramparkal said.
He also said Akmal's 'ultimatum' to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to charge someone within a set timeframe was inappropriate and put undue pressure on the investigation.
He questioned the AGC's stance on this matter.
'Will it issue a statement warning Akmal not to interfere in the investigation? If not, why is action not being taken when it is clear that action should be immediate?'
Ramkarpal said the authorities must act without delay to uphold the rule of law and send a message that no one is above it, regardless of political position.
Akmal had called for public action against a 59‑year‑old hardware shop owner in Penang who accidentally hoisted the Jalur Gemilang upside down, an error the owner quickly corrected after realising the mistake.
The controversy began when Akmal threatened to stage a demonstration at the hardware shop if the owner was not charged by Thursday, saying he would 'give a class to teach this 'ah pek' how to correctly put up a flag'.
Police today advised against the protest, given that the owner had already addressed the issue.