In a statement today, the veteran DAP leader said: “Let Hadi appear before the Memali tragedy RCI to testify (on) the impact of Amanat Hadi on the loss of 18 lives in 1985 and how he could reconcile Amanat Hadi with his present intimate relationship and defence of (Umno president) Najib (Razak) and the 1MDB scandal.”
Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported to have said that the government was willing to set up an RCI to investigate the incident if there were calls for it from any party, including the families of the victims.
On Nov 19, 1985, 18 people, including four policemen, were killed and several others injured when police launched an operation to arrest religious teacher Ibrahim Mahmud, also known as Ibrahim Libya, in Memali, Baling, in Kedah.
The Memali incident has come up again following a question directed at Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then the prime minister, at the Nothing to Hide forum held recently. The forum was abandoned after a fracas among some participants following Dr Mahathir’s reply.
Hadi later thanked those who had raised the question about Memali at the forum. And yesterday, PAS said it would arrange for a meeting between the families of villagers who died in the Memali incident and Zahid to formally ask for the setting up of an RCI.
This morning, former inspector-general of police Rahim Noor was quoted by The Malaysian Insight as saying he did not understand why Hadi would want to resurrect the Memali incident, as “it will emerge that he had played a role in it”.
Rahim said if a RCI were to be held into the Memali tragedy, “we won’t be able to avoid the fact that the ‘Amanat Hadi’ had played a role in causing the Memali incident”.
“Amanat Hadi” refers to Hadi’s speech on April 7, 1981. He was then PAS Terengganu commissioner.
Rahim said ‘Amanat Hadi’ had two important elements: the accusation that Muslims who failed to adopt Islam as a complete way of life, including in politics were kaffir, or infidels; and the declaration that opposition to Umno and BN was “jihad” and those who died in the struggle would be “martyrs”.
Rahim, who was Selangor police chief then, said Hadi’s 1981 speech had inspired PAS members nationwide, including PAS member Ibrahim Libya, who had formed a militant sect that wanted to go beyond the political struggle.
Rahim said Ibrahim Libya was a strident PAS follower and was very loyal to Hadi’s message.
Lim said today: “I had said that what Hadi has done as PAS president after the break-up of Pakatan Rakyat as a result of the PAS leadership’s reneging on the Pakatan Rakyat common policy framework, and the PAS Muktamar resolution in June 2016, would be anathema to previous PAS Mursyidul Am and presidents of yesteryears like Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Fadzil Noor and Yusof Rawa.
“It would not be inconceivable to imagine Nik Aziz, Fadzil Noor and Yusuf Rawa leading national and international campaigns against the 1MDB scandal and to clear or cleanse Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy – but not Hadi. Why is this the case?”