What was thought to have been a case of a stolen portrait of the late ‘Tiger of Jelutong’ Karpal Singh was proven untrue when Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) admitted it was removed due to its ‘sensitive’ nature.

The portrait of the late Bukit Gelugor MP, who passed away in an accident on April 17, was among the 33 art pieces on display at the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk cultural event in Johor Baru when it suddenly went missing.

    

At a Johor Baru press conference yesterday called by DAP representatives, MBJB was taken to task for its arbitrary removal of the portrait, Oriental Daily News reported today.

DAP Senai assemblyperson Wong Shu Qi said they first thought that the painting was ‘taken away’ by some party supporters but later found out the culprit was none other than MBJB.

"Would showing the portrait of a dead person amount to inciting public disorder? Or is Umno fearful of a dead person?" Wong asked at the press conference when questioning MBJB's true intention in confiscating the picture of the late veteran opposition leader.

She urged MBJB to return painting to the exhibition adding that the council’s action amounted to theft, besides being a violation of the spirit of freedom of expression as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

'Public complaints'

DAP Johor Jaya assemblyperson Liow Cai Tung said the council should be more open-minded and liberal towards such art works.

DAP Pengkalan Rinting assemblyperson Cheo Yee How ( right ) said MBJB had acted similarly in the past in ‘sabotaging’ art works, such as when it erased Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic’s drawings in public spaces in JB.

“On what law was MBJB authorised to take away the painting? How sensitive can a portrait be?” Cheo asked.

DAP Stulang assemblyperson Andrew Chen Kah Eng called on MBJB to pay more attention to its task of building a better city and not to dabble in political issues.

Oriental Daily News quoted MBJB as saying Karpal’s portrait was removed because of ‘public complaints’.

Council enforcement unit director Mohd Khairul Anuar Esa said the painting was removed from the exhibition site and was now being kept in a council storeroom.

Mohd Khairul said members of the public had complained that Karpal Singh was not a Johor-based politician and that the display of his portrait could trigger sensitive political issues if it continued to be exhibited in the state.