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SERDANG: Stern action will be taken against any police personnel if they were found to have had a hand in a secondary school’s decision to remove the Chinese New Year decorations it had put up at its premises, following an alleged threat by Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra).
Serdang police chief ACP Ismadi Borhan today said investigations are being carried out to ascertain if there is truth to allegations that police personnel advised the school’s officials to take down the decorations.
Ismadi said police have received two reports on the matter from the public.
There were claims that following Putra’s demand to the school, several police personnel had advised the teachers of SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1 to remove the decorations.
He said the case is being investigated for “issuing a statement which is likely to incite a race or community” under Section 505(c) of the Penal Code and for “initiating communication to threaten or harass” under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.
“We have recorded statements from members of Putra, the school’s officials and also its Parents-Teachers Association. We will investigate and submit our findings to the Attorney-General Chambers for further action,” Ismadi said.
Putra vice-president and lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz was summoned for questioning over the case by Serdang police this morning.
On Monday, he had issued a letter to the SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1 school’s headmistress ordering her to remove the elaborate CNY decorations that were put up at the school claiming he had received complaints from some school pupil’s parents.
Referring to CNY as a “Chinese religious celebration” he complained that the decorations were excessive and that it made the school look like a Chinese-owned business centre and had elements of religion which caused displeasure among Muslim students.
The school officials caved in to Putra’s demands and removed the decorations but it was reported that it put them up again following the intervention of several politicians who slammed Putra over the matter.
The issue also caught the attention of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador who defended the school’s initiative to place the CNY decorations, praising the move as one that will enhance greater ties among the races.
The top cop also said there were elements of threats in Putra’s letter and ordered an investigation to be initiated on Khairul.
