MCA ‘bodoh’ ungkit Operasi Lalang, kata Anwar Anwar calls MCA ‘stupid’ for trying to link him to Ops Lalang

Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyifatkan pemimpin MCA sebagai "bodoh" apabila cuba mengaitkan dirinya dengan Operasi Lalang 1987.

Anwar, yang juga bakal calon Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kajang berkata, MCA sepatutnya menegur bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad kerana ketika itu merupakan menteri dalam negeri yang  bertanggungjawab dalam operasi tersebut.
"Bodoh cakap ini semua,” kata Anwar semasa berucap merasmikan jentera pilihan raya PKR di Kota Cheras malam tadi.
"MCA datang sini marah Anwar saja, presiden MCA datang sini kata Anwar tangkap orang dalam Operasi Lalang, masa bila pula saya menteri dalam negeri," katanya.
Minggu lalu, Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai menuduh ketua pembangkang itu sebagai punca berlakunya tangkapan besar-besaran mengikut Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) pada 1987.
Semasa Operasi Lalang, 108 ahli politik dan aktivis sosial ditahan mengikut ISA.
Selain itu, akhbar seperti The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh serta akhbar mingguan The Sunday Star dan Watan dibatalkan permit penerbitannya.
Operasi Lalang dikritik hebat termasuk masyarakat antarabangsa kerana penahanan tanpa bicara terbesar pemimpin politik dan aktivis sosial semasa pemerintahan Dr Mahathir itu mencabuli hak asasi manusia.
"Sebab dia tak berani tegur Dr Mahathir, menteri dalam negeri adalah Dr Mahathir, perdana menteri pun Dr Mahathir.
"Tidak berani sentuh Mahathir, semua serang saya," kata Anwar.
Anwar juga membidas MCA supaya tidak berlagak seperti “ketua Pemuda Umno”, sebaliknya menggesa parti majoriti kaum Cina dalam Barisan Nasional (BN) itu bercakap mengenai nasib kaumnya.
"Buat apa dia nak buat kerja Umno, buat apa campur?
“Kempen baik-baik sudahlah, buat apa kamu presiden MCA cakap macam etua Pemuda Umno, tak payahlah.
"Kamu cakap bagi pihak masyarakat Cina, cakap tentang apa masalah masyarakat Cina, apa orang Cina rasa di negeri ini, bila dipermainkan, boleh tampar," katanya.
Mengulas mengenai bakal lawannya, Naib Presiden MCA, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun yang akan bertanding di Kajang, Anwar menggesa supaya kempen kali ini berjalan secara baik dan bersih.
"Saya kata tak apa, saya ucap tahniah kepada dia kerana diangkat sebagai calon MCA dan kita boleh bersaing secara baik.
"Tak payah maki hamun tak guna, jadi tak apa bila MCA pilih dia. Kita lawan dengan baik dalam pilihan raya," katanya.
Sebelum ini Dr Mahathir mengatakan Anwar turut terlibat dalam menjayakan Operasi Lalang pada 1987.
Sambil menafikan tuduhan Anwar bahawa beliau bertanggungjawab sepenuhnya dalam operasi yang menyaksikan pemimpin politik dan aktivis ditahan, Dr Mahathir berkata, sebagai seorang anggota Kabinet ketika itu, Anwar perlu bertanggungjawab.
“Kecuali kalau beliau berkata, saya meletak jawatan kerana tidak bersetuju. Dia tidak pernah berkata seperti itu. Beliau setuju, sokong semua termasuk ISA,” katanya dalam satu majlis di Putrajaya baru-baru ini.
Kerusi DUN Kajang kosong selepas wakil rakyatnya Lee Chin Cheh dari PKR meletakkan jawatan pada 27 Januari lalu untuk memberi laluan kepada ketua pembangkang itu bertanding.
Selain Chew daripada MCA, Anwar akan berdepan dengan calon bebas seperti bekas pemimpin – pemimpin PKR seperti Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, Datuk Seri S Nalakaruppan dan N Gobalakrishnan, turut menyatakan hasrat untuk bertanding.
Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya mengumumkan sebelum ini, hari mengundi bagi PRK Kajang adalah pada 23 Mac sementara hari penamaan calon jatuh pada 11 Mac. - 24 Februari, 2014.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has labelled the MCA leadership as "stupid" for trying to link him to Ops Lalang in 1987.

The opposition leader said that MCA should be training its guns on former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was Home Minister at the time.
"Stupid of them to say that," Anwar said in Kota Cheras last night. "MCA came here and accused me, MCA president came here and said I was the one who arrested people in Ops Lalang, but when was I ever the Home Minister?"
Last week,  MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had accused the opposition leader, who will be the PKR candidate in the upcoming Kajang by-election on March 23, as the cause of the major arrests under the draconian Internal Security Act in 1987.
During Ops Lalang, 108 politicians and social activists were detained under ISA.
Apart from that, newspapers such as The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh, The Sunday Star and Watan also had their printing permits cancelled at the time.
Ops Lalang was criticised, including internationally, for its infamous detention without trial which was said to be against human rights principles.
"He did not dare accuse Dr Mahathir, who was Home Minister and Prime Minister at that time.
"They don't dare touch (Dr) Mahathir, so everybody attacks me," Anwar said of his former mentor turned nemesis.
He also ridiculed MCA for acting like it was Umno's "youth leader", and instead called on the Chinese-based party in Barisan Nasional (BN) to speak up on the plight of their people.
"Why are they doing Umno's work? Just campaign properly, why should the MCA president act as though he is the youth leader for Umno? No need for that.
"Speak on Chinese issues, talk about the problems the community faces, how the Chinese feel in this country,” he said.
Speaking about his opponent Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, BN's candidate for Kajang, Anwar appealed for a "clean contest" during campaigning.
"There is no need for us to insult each other. We can have a clean fight," he added.
Before this, Dr Mahathir had accused Anwar of being involved in Ops Lalang, while refuting Anwar's allegation that as the Home Minister and Prime Minister, he (Dr Mahathir) was fully responsible for the incident.
Dr Mahathir had attempted to shift the blame to Anwar, claiming that the latter played a key role in the operation as a member of the administration at the time. But subsequently, Dr Mahathir accepted responsibility for Ops Lalang.
The Kajang by-election was sparked by the resignation of its incumbent, PKR's Lee Chin Cheh, in what has come to be known as the "Kajang move" to make way for PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to enter the Selangor state assembly, amid claims by party leaders that it was necessary to defend the state from being taken over by Umno. – February 24, 2014.