‘From Faisal Halim to Haresh Deol, violence against critics is rising’ – Tun M
He alleged that the same pattern applied to those who criticised the government and subsequently faced pressure from enforcement agencies.
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the incident reflected a new and worrying trend in which individuals who voiced critical views become vulnerable to retaliation, including violence.
PUTRAJAYA - The recent assault on National Press Club (NPC) deputy president Haresh Deol by unknown individuals is a sign of declining social norms and governance in the country.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the incident reflected a new and worrying trend in which individuals who voiced critical views become vulnerable to retaliation, including violence.
He claimed that similar situations also occurred when someone expressed criticism towards government actions, leading to pressure from authorities.
“I think these kinds of things never used to happen. If someone says something the government dislikes, they are questioned by the police, they are harassed, they are asked to declare wealth supposedly stolen - even when they haven't stolen anything. This is pressure,” he said during a special press conference in Putrajaya on Wednesday.
Dr Mahathir alleged that the same pattern applied to those who criticised the government and subsequently faced pressure from enforcement agencies.
“When a whistleblower informs the government about wrongdoing, the whistleblower ends up being investigated. That is why people now live in fear in our country.
“And we are seeing violent acts. A football player (Faisal Halim) was splashed with acid. This never happened before. Why would anyone do such a thing to a football player?
“Recently we saw someone who expressed his views about the state of the country and for some reason he was attacked by two individuals and they even took a video of it,” he added.
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the incident reflected a new and worrying trend in which individuals who voiced critical views become vulnerable to retaliation, including violence.
On Tuesday, Haresh, who is also managing editor of the portal TwentyTwo13 and a veteran sports journalist said that he was assaulted by two individuals in Bangsar before they fled.
The attack was recorded by another person.
Speaking after lodging a police report at the Brickfields district police headquarters, Haresh said the attack may have been triggered by dissatisfaction over his views on issues involving the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Haresh had consistently criticised FAM on matters of governance, transparency and integrity involving naturalised players.
In his article titled “FIFA exposes FAM’s shame, Malaysians deserve answers”, he described FIFA’s revelations as a major embarrassment to Malaysia and demanded proper proof of the heritage players.
When asked whether the matter was linked to the attack on Haresh, Dr Mahathir said the public is now living in fear because such incidents have never happened before.
“There are violent acts now against anyone who voices something that certain parties may dislike. For example, giving citizenship to foreigners, footballers. These individuals, who were attacked, pointed it out.
“He said it was wrong… and he got attacked. In football too, if someone appears to side with the opposing team, they can be attacked. This never used to happen,” he said.
Previously, Dr Mahathir told Sinar Daily's Top News Podcast that a powerful individual who operates "above the law" is behind the alleged fabrication of documents for foreign players.
He argued that the scale of deception that includes allegedly fabricating documents on an international sporting platform signals the involvement of a highly influential figure.
Tun Mahathir called the issue shameful, stating that national teams should be represented by true Malaysians - not foreign players rushed into citizenship without proper vetting. - AWANI
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