PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim tonight lauded the police’s decision to reschedule the questioning of Lim Guan Eng, saying it will help address negative perceptions of the men in blue.
The PKR president also said Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador’s apology to Lim for the oversight was also reflective of a police leadership “which is sensitive to the opinions and concerns of the public”.
Anwar said the decision to summon the DAP secretary-general on Christmas Eve had raised concerns from all quarters, including MPs on both sides of the divide.
“The Royal Malaysian Police risked being perceived as being politically biased and vindictive.
“However, the IGP’s decision to move Lim’s questioning by police to next year has helped to an extent in addressing these negative perceptions,” he said in a statement.
Anwar went on to say that no one was asking for Lim to be accorded special treatment, but only for the rule of law to be applied fairly.
“There is really no conceivable reason to drag him away for hours of questioning on Christmas eve – a festival he observes,” he said, adding that much needed to be done to restore the public’s trust in enforcement authorities.
Yesterday, Lim revealed that police were currently investigating him over two press releases he made in 2019, when he was still finance minister.
He labelled his scheduled meet with police on Dec 24 as a “Christmas gift from the PN government” and claimed the decision to question him was the “latest act of political persecution by Perikatan Nasional”.
This also led to former prime minister Najib Razak criticising the police over their decision, saying it would only allow the opposition to “instigate” the people.
Earlier today, Najib said the decision to postpone the questioning was the right move.