The attack by a group of thugs at a kopitiam in Masai, Johor today was the first violent incident DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang had faced in his political career spanning almost half a century.
“It was very disgraceful for this to happen during the Ramadan month,” Lim told The Malaysian Insider.
It was also described as the worst treatment the party had faced in Johor since it started pushing hard to capture it with its Pakatan Rakyat partners.
Lim said he was not shocked that the attack took place but was “disgusted” by the behaviour of those who stopped the dialogue session.
“We went in and the group of people were already there, as a WhatsApp message was being spread by Pasir Gudang Umno members,” Lim said.
“They had probably thought that with the message, I would feel threatened and not show up.
“We went on for about half an hour, before they started making noise demanding that I leave the place. Then they started throwing all sorts of things at us,” he added.
“This culture of political gangsterism has to stop and be reigned in. The Johor MB (Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin) must be held accountable,” he said.
The incident occured in the constituency of Pasir Gudang, which comes under the Johor MB Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin.
Lim told The Malaysian Insider today that bowls, plates, and punches were aimed at the DAP entourage who were conducting the talk with some Iban workers living in Johor Baharu.
He had escaped unhurt, both those escorting him to his car were dealt with punches, while Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong had people allegedly trying to choke him when he made his way to his car.
The incident at a dialogue session follows another incident where Liew was chased away from visiting a Ramadan bazaar in Johor last year, and Lim’s political secretary Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud being turned away from a village shortly after the 13th general elections.
Lim is Gelang Patah MP while Liew is Kluang MP.
Lim said that the police did not have enough personnel on hand and advised the DAP leaders to leave the venue.
It is learnt that Johor Jaya assemblyperson Liow Cai Tung will lodge a police report on the matter.
“For (Lim) it is the first time he had seen such a thing in his decades of political career, but though we (DAP Johor) had experienced it before, it was still quite bad,” Liew told The Malaysian Insider.
Liew said that the group decided to go ahead with the dialogue session despite the message as they believed it was their fundamental right to organise such events.
“It is our fundamental right, and we had informed the police about the matter when we knew of it (the messages),” he added.
The message which circulated accused Lim of being “chauvinist and a communist”, among others. – July 5, 2015.
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