KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has condemned the attack on Dang Wangi police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman as a despicable act.
In a statement posted on Facebook today, Anwar said that while the government respects the people’s right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression — a principle consistently upheld under his administration — such rights must be exercised responsibly and within the boundaries of the law.
“The attack that caused injury to a public servant, the Dang Wangi police chief, by irresponsible and self-interested parties, is a despicable act and must be condemned. I have urged the authorities to launch an immediate investigation and to promptly arrest those responsible for the assault,” he said.
District police chief Sulizmie suffered a head injury, believed to have been caused by a rock thrown by an unidentified individual, while overseeing a court-ordered operation to cut electricity supply to several houses in Kampung Sungai Baru today.
The operation was part of an enforcement operation to demolish structures in the area.
It was learnt that police on site had instructed residents gathered at the scene to disperse, but some of them refused to comply and continued to provoke officers, leading to heightened tensions.
According to Anwar, peaceful gatherings shouldn’t be misused for political interests that could lead to social unrest, and incitement, hatred and disinformation-fuelled violence must not be allowed to root in society.
