Najib’s embarrassing Pandamaran welcome

No amount of justification can change the fact that the giant billboard and other banners to welcome Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to Pandamaran for the national-level Chinese New Year celebrations were illegal.

This has been confirmed by staff at the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) who acted within the law to remove the mammoth billboard and other banners which were reportedly sponsored by companies linked to the organisers for the Feb 20 event.

“What do you expect? They didn’t even apply for a permit. We would have had to take action even if the banners was put up by PAS or PKR.” said the irritated officer, who pointed out the blame should fall squarely on organisers.

Yet this fact has been overlooked, probably deliberately by local Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders who have been quick to blame the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government for disrespecting Najib and politicising the issue by ordering MPK to act.

Main stream newspapers have gone to town with the statements from Selangor Umno information chief Abdul Shukur Idrus, Klang Umno chief Datuk Mazlynoor Abdul Latif and Klang Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Teh Kim Poo.

Laws including local government requirement for permits are there for a reason. And that includes health and safety.

No one should know these better that Abdul Shukur who is Kuang state lawmaker, Mazlynoor who was former MPK councillor and Teh who was formerly both Pandamaran state lawmaker and MPK councillor.

Are these leaders suggesting that MPK turns a blind eye to the violation just because the illegal billboard was meant to welcome Najib? Will they defend MPK should the illegal structure falls, hurts or even kills someone?

By justifying the unjustifiable, aren’t they the ones embarrassing the prime minister?




comments

If it is for UMNO, all rules are broken.
Please go law by law. You must apply for a permit. It is not a state function. If it was then state officials should have been represented. It looks like a BN function. BN must apply for permit. The days when BN can do anything you like are over!...