The Malaysian Insight

I DID not feel intimidated or afraid when police questioned me yesterday as I had done no wrong, said Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

Dr Siti Hasmah said this a day after she was questioned by police on her participation in the Purple Walk rally in Kuala Lumpur four months ago.

She told The Malaysian Insight that police had asked her who was the organiser of the event, which was a protest against “toxic politics” in the country.

They also questioned her on the speech she made at the rally.

“I didn’t feel any pressure as I had done nothing wrong,” she told the Malaysian Insight in Kuala Lumpur today.

“They asked me who was the organiser. They asked if I was the organiser.”

Her husband, Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for prime minister, told The Malaysian Insight they were not averse to being investigated by the police, if the law required it.

“We follow the law. If it requires the police to question, they should. We are not going to ignore the law.

“It is the government that is ignoring the law. We follow it,” he said.

Yesterday, Dr Siti Hasmah, 91, was questioned by for addressing the Purple Walk, a gathering of women united against the current state of Malaysian politics on September 10, 2017.

She had given a short speech while standing on top the back of a pick-up truck to some 1,000 women dressed in purple who marched from the Maju Junction shopping mall to Pertama Complex in the city centre.

Weighing in with his view, veteran MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said going after organisations and individuals would not help the administration.

“So it is not rewarding to the authorities to act harshly against organisations like this (G25), and even going after Siti Hasmah. I don’t think it is the right thing, why not catch Dr Mahathir (PH chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad)?

“It is going to create more unpleasant stories and minuses about the ruling party, which I think is of no benefit to the ruling party,” Ku Li said at a press conference in Shah Alam today.

Yesteday, lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla said it was clear that the two police officers sent to question Siti Hasmah wished they were somewhere else.

He described the two police officers from the Federal police headquarters as being “sheepish” and “embarrassed”.

“They were also apologetic. They definitely appeared embarrassed and were clearly not comfortable that they had to come take a statement from such an elderly statesman,” Haniff told The Malaysian Insight. – January 27, 2018.