Bersih
steering committee member Wong Chin Huat was attacked this morning by a
group of bikers, in an incident he believed was not politically
motivated.
The 7.40am incident occurred while he was jogging near a temple in Taman Kanangapuram, Petaling Jaya Section 18, when he was suddenly surrounded by a group of bikers.
Wong (left) told Malaysiakini that he felt something was amiss and tried to flee, but was hit on the back and head.
The university lecturer cum social activist said that the mob threw punches at him and later demanded his money.
He added that no one had attempted to help him, except for a family who had open their doors after the incident.
In his police report later, Wong said his attackers were youths in a group of eight to 10.
He told the police that the youths punched him and hit him with motorcycle helmets “endlessly”.
One subsequently asked him for money, and when he said he hadn’t any, they hit his head with a helmet and left.
In a Facebook posting later, Wong said he believes the attack was not political.
"No, it was not politically motivated, they were only after money," he said.
However,
Wong who claimed to be a victim of police brutality during the Bersih
3.0 protest in April 28, questioned the police's commitment in carrying
out their more regular duties such as crime prevention.
"I had been a victim of police violence. Today I became a victim of police failure in deterring crime.
"Rising crime rate is political. I was told another man was robbed recently in that (same) neighbourhood.
Where are the police when we are not demonstrating?" he wrote sarcastically.
The assault left Wong with a bloodied face and he has since undergone a check up and X-rayed at a hospital.
'So much for NKRAs'
Meanwhile, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang said Wong’s ordeal made rubbish of the Home Ministry and Pemandu’s boast of successes in the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and National Key Result Areas (NKRA) in areas of crime prevention.
He
said this incident and that of Puchong teacher Teoh Soo Kim who had
suffered severe head injuries in an abduction on Wednesday were
“gruesome reminders to Malaysians that the Najib administration has
failed in one of its most important tasks – to reduce crime and to
eradicate the fear of crime among Malaysians”.
Lim said the glowing statistics that the government has been trumpeting meant little“when Malaysians still do not feel safe from the fear of crime whether in the privacy of their homes, or outside in the streets and public places”.
Taking the cue from Wong, the veteran opposition leader said, “The mobilisation of over 14,00 police personnel on April 28 to deal with the peaceful Bersih 3.0 rally, and the continued demonisation of 200,000 Malaysians ... who had gathered peacefully for a common national cause for clean elections, have made the failure of the Najib government to reduce crime and eradicate the fear of crime among Malaysians in the urban areas even more unacceptable.”
“The alphabet soup of GTP, NKRAs, ETPs, PTPs etc popularised by the Najib premiership has no meaning to ordinary Malaysians, who want to know what the government is doing to ensure that Wong Chin Huat can jog safely near his home ... and Teoh Soo Kim can safely go about her work and live without fear of being a victim of a dastardly criminal attack,” he added.
The 7.40am incident occurred while he was jogging near a temple in Taman Kanangapuram, Petaling Jaya Section 18, when he was suddenly surrounded by a group of bikers.
Wong (left) told Malaysiakini that he felt something was amiss and tried to flee, but was hit on the back and head.The university lecturer cum social activist said that the mob threw punches at him and later demanded his money.
He added that no one had attempted to help him, except for a family who had open their doors after the incident.
In his police report later, Wong said his attackers were youths in a group of eight to 10.
He told the police that the youths punched him and hit him with motorcycle helmets “endlessly”.
One subsequently asked him for money, and when he said he hadn’t any, they hit his head with a helmet and left.
'Not political'
In a Facebook posting later, Wong said he believes the attack was not political.
"No, it was not politically motivated, they were only after money," he said.
However,
Wong who claimed to be a victim of police brutality during the Bersih
3.0 protest in April 28, questioned the police's commitment in carrying
out their more regular duties such as crime prevention."I had been a victim of police violence. Today I became a victim of police failure in deterring crime.
"Rising crime rate is political. I was told another man was robbed recently in that (same) neighbourhood.
Where are the police when we are not demonstrating?" he wrote sarcastically.
The assault left Wong with a bloodied face and he has since undergone a check up and X-rayed at a hospital.
'So much for NKRAs'
Meanwhile, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang said Wong’s ordeal made rubbish of the Home Ministry and Pemandu’s boast of successes in the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and National Key Result Areas (NKRA) in areas of crime prevention.
He
said this incident and that of Puchong teacher Teoh Soo Kim who had
suffered severe head injuries in an abduction on Wednesday were
“gruesome reminders to Malaysians that the Najib administration has
failed in one of its most important tasks – to reduce crime and to
eradicate the fear of crime among Malaysians”.Lim said the glowing statistics that the government has been trumpeting meant little“when Malaysians still do not feel safe from the fear of crime whether in the privacy of their homes, or outside in the streets and public places”.
Taking the cue from Wong, the veteran opposition leader said, “The mobilisation of over 14,00 police personnel on April 28 to deal with the peaceful Bersih 3.0 rally, and the continued demonisation of 200,000 Malaysians ... who had gathered peacefully for a common national cause for clean elections, have made the failure of the Najib government to reduce crime and eradicate the fear of crime among Malaysians in the urban areas even more unacceptable.”
“The alphabet soup of GTP, NKRAs, ETPs, PTPs etc popularised by the Najib premiership has no meaning to ordinary Malaysians, who want to know what the government is doing to ensure that Wong Chin Huat can jog safely near his home ... and Teoh Soo Kim can safely go about her work and live without fear of being a victim of a dastardly criminal attack,” he added.
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