PERAK police today denied instigating the public to lodge reports to stop the debate between former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Cabinet Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Perak police chief Hasnan Hassan said this in response to Nazri’s remarks that were quoted by The Star daily today. 

“It is not true and a wild accusation,” Hasnan said in a statement today.

“I like to stress that the police are not at all involved in political arguments or favour any party anywhere in this country. 

Nazri had alleged that the few individuals who had filed reports had told him that they had done so at the instruction of the police.

“I got to know there were five police reports lodged against the debate by three people. The contents on the reports were identical,” he had said.

Nazri said those who had complained were his Umno branch leader at Padang Rengas, an Umno Youth member and a village head. 

“When I asked them why they did so, they said ‘polis suruh’.”

The debate was cancelled for the second time after Perak police rejected the organiser’s application to hold the event at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara in Kuala Kangsar on March 25.

Among the reasons given for the rejection was that police had received written objections to the event, including eight reports filed by individuals worried about safety

The debate between the tourism and culture minister and Parti Pribumi Bersatu chairman was initially slated to take place in Padang Rengas, where Nazri is MP.

The two were expected to debate, among other topics, the 1Malaysia Development Bhd and the Bumiputera Malaysia Finance financial scandals, and the RM2.6 billion deposited into Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bank account. – May 23, 2017.