Nong Chik: Fracas likely sparked by outsiders
While maintaining that there has yet to be proof of who started the Pantai Dalam fracas on last Thursday, Lembah Pantai Umno division chief Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin speculated that it happened because PKR brought outsiders into local politics.
PKR has been accused of sparking by the fracas during a ceramah at Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur last Saturday because it had brought “outsiders” to the event.
Lembah Pantai Umno division chief Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal said this based on reports that the best known victim of the violence, 59-year-old Raja Ismail Raja Din, was from Petaling Jaya.
"Many people had been imported to disturb the situation. If you want to do (a ceramah), do it with the locals. I think many programmes involving only locals had no problems.
"When they bring in ‘imported people', there would often be disturbances because they would be challenging one another and when that happens, even we would have trouble keeping the crowd's ‘temperature' under control," Nong Chik told a press conference today.
Stressing that there was no proof that it was Umno who started the fracas, Nong Chik said with certainty that PKR had a hand in causing some provocation.
“I, on behalf of Umno Lembah Pantai, wish to express regret that a senior citizen was injured... but after watching the opposition’s videos and photos I don’t know who was doing the throwing,” he said.
'Anwar spewed vulgarities'
On PKR’s part, Nong Chik said they their first act of provocation was holding the event in a residential area and then its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim had made some incendiary comments.
Nong Chik quoted the Permatang Pauh MP saying, “There is something being thrown”, “They threw it again,” and, “Hey coward, come down here if you dare,” during his speech. 
He claimed that during this time, the pro-Umno ceramah at an adjacent site was also being pelted with projectiles.
“He (Anwar) without investigating who threw the rocks, straight away uttered vulgar words (sial and celaka) at Umno Youth. Why he said Umno Youth, only God knows.”
When pointed out by reporters that Anwar uttered the vulgar words only after he saw the saw a senior citizen was injured and asked whether there is going to be a retraction of an earlier statement accusing Anwar of provoking the incident, he sidestepped the question and said:
“But how he (Anwar) knows Umno did it. How can he just accuse Umno? Every wrongdoing is Umno wrongdoing? Is it fair? He is a potential prime minister, should he simply accuse people like that?
“If he is a responsible leader, rather than saying Umno or whoever is at fault, he should investigate. Maybe go to that guy and check instead of provoking Umno,” he said.
Closed door events
Lembah Pantai Umno youth chief Mohamad Sazali Kaliman had accused Anwar of provoking the incident at Pantai Permai public housing flats by uttering vulgar words the pro-Umno ceramah during a press conference on Saturday.
In a statement today, he also said the videos of the incident did not show where exactly the projectiles that hit both crowds came from.
At least three people were injured that night, including one PKR supporter, one Umno supporter and a 12-year-old girl.
On the issue of outsiders getting involved in Pantai Dalam affairs, Nong Chik cited the case of student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim (second from left) being punched while attempting to intervene in the demolition of a flat.
“So it is as if there are efforts to show that BN and the local Umno are aggressive by provoking the situation. However, that situation did not call for the involvement of outsiders. It was a local issue,” he said.
In the same vein, he commended the Indian Rights Action Force (Indraf 2.0) rally on Sunday that was held behind closed doors, and suggested that future ceramah in potentially "sensitive" areas should follow its example to avoid provoking the locals.
When asked to comment about the escalation of political violence in recent months, he said “negative politics” from both sides of the political divide should be avoided, such as fault-finding and accusing each other of wrongdoings.
“If we just stress on what you as a party, whatever party you represent, for the future, for the country, or for the area... it is okay...
“What is important thing is, if you are forming the government, what do you intend to do?” he said.
However, when interviewed shortly after the Kampung Kerinchi incident, Adam Adli had said he and his fellow students merely sat in the sidelines to monitor the situation and did not interfere.
Asked to comment about the escalation of political violence in recent months, Adam said “negative politics” from both sides of the political divide should be avoided, such as fault-finding and accusing each other of wrongdoings.
“If we just stress on what you as a party, whatever party you represent, for the future, for the country, or for the area... it is okay...
“What is important thing is, if you are forming the government, what do you intend to do?” Adam said.
