Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar today said there is no law to prevent police from attending or giving talks at anti-Christian seminars.
“I want to ask you, are there any laws saying that (police attending such a seminar) is wrong?” he said in response to questions over the presence of police at the seminar titled “Ancaman Gerakan Pemurtadan Kristianisasi” (Threat of the Christian proselytisation movement) at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus in Malacca last weekend.
“We can be anywhere and we are always everywhere,” he said. Khalid said a police officer was invited to deliver views on the aspects of safety, primarily about groups who intend to Christianise Malays.
Commenting publicly on the attendance at and participation by his subordinates in an anti-Christian assembly the head of the PDRM, IGP Khalid, stated that there is “no law” to prevent police officers attending such meetings or speaking at them.
It is probably some time since Khalid attended any lectures on the criminal law and police procedure, but nothing excuses any police officer from being ignorant of the criminal law which he is paid to enforce.
So we suggest that Khalid looks at Sections 298 and 298A of the Malaysian Penal Code, which criminalise exactly what his Special Branch officers did at the gathering in question. If he also looks at the Criminal Procedure Code he will see that S.298A is a seizable offence for which any polce officer and any member of the public has the right, and in his case the duty, to make the arrest.