THE government is ready to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to probe the 1985 Memali tragedy if there is demand from any quarters, including families of the victims, says Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi.

He said the law must be upheld and the party responsible, held accountable.

“As home minister, I will personally study all the reports on the incident ,” he said when opening the Bukit Gantang Umno division delegates conference in Taiping today.

Zahid, who is also Umno vice-president said that in upholding the law, all quarters should set aside their political differences.

In the Memali incident on November 19, 1985, 18 people, including four policemen, were killed and many others injured after the police launched an operation to arrest  religious teacher Ibrahim Mahmud, who was popularly known as ‘Ibrahim Libya’.

Zahid said former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam in his book “Frankly Speaking” stated that he was instructed to take action against Kampung Memali because there were allegedly militant elements led by PAS leaders.

Zahid said the leader who had said he was not in the country on the day of the Memali incident needed to admit that he was indeed, in the country at the time.

“The Memali incident happened over two decades ago, but we have to keep in mind that the victims, families (and) children were denied their rights by the then government,” he said. – Bernama, August 20, 2017.