Arrest warrants: 'Police did not summon us'

PAS vice-president Husam Musa today expressed surprise at a report in the Malay daily Berita Harian that police will be obtaining arrest warrants against him and 12 others for failing to assist in their investigations into the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur.

Until today, Husam (left) said, he had not been contacted by any police station in Kuala Lumpur or in his home state of Kelantan to assist in their investigations.

"I am surprised at this report as I have not been contacted by the police," he said.

Husam, who is a senior state executive councillor in the Kelantan government, said the move by the police (to speak to the media before arrests) was inappropriate and would 'sensationalise the situation'.

"I am prepared (to assist in police investigations), but the police will need to leave me a message," he added.

The 13 against whom warrants of arrest are to be taken out by police, as reported by Berita Harian today, include top Pakatan and Bersih leaders as well as an Umno leader.

With the exception of Titiwangsa MP Dr Lo' Lo' Mohd Ghazali, who passed away on Sunday, the report lists them as PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim, PKR vice-president N Surendran, Bersih 2.0 steering committee member Wong Chin Huat and Umno Youth exco member Reezal Merican Naima Merican.

Also in the list are Perak DAP deputy chairperson V Sivakumar, PKR legal bureau chief Latheefa Koya, national laureate A Samad Said, activists Haris Ibrahim and Badrul Hisham Shaharin, Pakatan MPs Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai), R Sivarasa (Subang) and Dr Hatta Ramli (Kuala Krai).

When contacted today, Samad (left) and Hatta have also confirmed via text message that both of them have not received any notification from police.

The daily's report alleged that all of them were called up for questioning by police on July 11 but failed to turn up.

In a statement, Surendran, too, expressed surprise at the arrest threat, stressing that Pakatan leaders had always cooperated with the police.

"This cooperation to the police has always been given by opposition leaders despite the fact that police investigations into the oppostion’s peaceful assemblies have been consistently biased, unfair and in breach of Article 10 of the federal constitution," he said.

The PKR veep stressed that none of the people mentioned had received any kind of notification from the police and took the Malay daily and police force to task for the 'mischievious' report.

"We regard the report in Berita Harian as uncalled for, mischievous and intended to put the opposition in a bad light.

"We view this matter seriously and call for an immediate explanation or apology from the inspector-general of police and the newspaper concerned."