Liow Tiong Lai should publicly apologise for being caught red-handed a second time for telling a lie – this time about security/terrorist threat resulting in the City Hall ban on Better Beer Festival next month
I am calling this press conference to express my surprise that before I spoke at the DAP kopitiam dialogue here in Pekan Nenas, which I have just concluded, there was a report in the Malay Mail Online entitled “’No idea’ about security threat to beer festival, police says” quoting the Bukit Aman counter terrorism division chief, Datuk Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay, denying that there was any security or terrorist threat resulting in the Kuala Lumpur City Hall banning the Better Beer Festival next month.
The report read:
“KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — The police today said that it has ‘no idea’ regarding an alleged security threat towards the scrapped Better Beer Festival, despite claims by MCA.
“MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai was reported by national news agency Bernama saying last night that the beer festival was cancelled due to security reasons as advised by the police.
“But Bukit Aman counter terrorism division senior principal assistant director Datuk Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay did not confirm such a threat existed.
“’No idea. You need ask [MCA leaders],’ Ayub told Malay Mail Online in a text message.”
But when I completed my speech just now, I found that the Malay Mail Online story is no more available, as it had been taken off.
In the information age where information travels at the speed of light, it is not prudent or even possible to try to undo what has appeared online.
Firstly, the taking down of the MMO report was too late, for it has already been captured on cache, which I have here with the time-print showing that it was put online on MMO on “1.07 pm -21 Sept 17”.
Secondly, the MMO report on “’No idea’ about security threat to beer festival, police says” has also been used in verbatim by “Yahoo! News” portal.
As I said in my speech just now, this will not be the first time that the MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai would have been caught red-handed telling a lie.
Malaysians would remember that during the second Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur on 9th July 2011, when Tiong Lai was then Health Minister and MCA Deputy President, he lied in denying that police had fired tear gas and chemically-laced water cannons into the Tung Shin Maternity Hospital during the Bersih 2.0 rally.
The controversy came to an inconclusive end when a group of doctors said they were prepared to provide sworn affidavits to say that police had fired tear gas and chemical-laced water into the compounds of the Tung Shin and Chinese Maternity Hospitals with scant regard for the safety of patients and doctors during the Bersih rally on June 9, 2011.
Now Tiong Lai has again been caught red-handed a second time in telling a lie over the Kuala Lumpur City Hall ban on the “Better Beer Festival” next month.
I had in my speech just now welcomed Datuk Ayub’s clarification as otherwise the professional image of the Malaysian police would be put in a very bad light.
Two weeks before the 60th Merdeka Anniversary celebrations, the Perak Police Chief revealed that the Islamic State (IS) was planning to launch an attack in Perak during the upcoming Merdeka Day celebrations.
Did the government cancel all Merdeka celebrations in Perak because of such intelligence reports?
Of course not, although the intelligence reports would have justified more police reinforcements at critical areas and greater police preparedness.
Similarly, if it is true that there are intelligence reports that there would be security or terrorist threats to the Better Beer Festival, a ban on the event is not the answer as it would reflect very poorly on police professionalism. However, Ayub Khan has denied knowledge of such security or terrorist threat to the Better Beer Festival,
If the Malaysian police cannot even handle a security or terrorist threat to the Better Beer Festival, which would be held in a very localised and easily protected area, Malaysians would be entitled to ask how could the Police face a major or full-scale terrorist threat?