9th March 2020
PATRIOT DEMANDS PUBLIC APOLOGY FROM SINAR HARIAN
Sinar Harian in its report on 7 March, ‘Kenyataan Patriot tidak bertanggungjawab’, has accused Patriot to make a statement (referring to Patriot statement - serial 8/2020 dated 6 March) saying the appointment of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister did not go through a democratic process. Nowhere in our statement on 6 March 2020 did we mention or even implied what Sinar Harian has accused us.
Sinar Harian lied, manipulated Patriot’s statement to instigate hatred against us, and betrayed the principle of objectivity in journalism. No reporter or the editor from Sinar Harian has asked us to clarify our statement. As such, Patriot demands a public apology from the editor of Sinar Harian for the false accusation.
In the said report on 7 March, Sinar Harian has quoted one Halim Ishak, supposedly the Chairman of Yayasan Keprihatinan Komuniti Malaysia (MCCF), accusing Patriot President BG Dato Mohamed Arshad Raji (Rtd) of ‘menghina’ (insulting) His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. We do not know what Halim Ishak actually said. But the editor of Sinar Harian has to take responsibility for such wrong reporting and false accusation.
Nowhere in our statement on 6 March had we been insulting or even hinted disrespect towards His Majesty. Nowhere had our statement tried to incite the people to challenge the appointment of the 8th prime minister as what Sinar Harian had quoted Halim Ishak to say. Our statement, endorsed by 22 other prominent NGOs, had asked for parliament to convene without delay to allow support for the new prime minister to be tested. It is mischievous for any one to suggest that a call to test for majority support in parliament tantamount insulting or disrespect to His Majesty.
Patriot’s tagline – Truth, Courage and Country, where our principles and values are based on, has been our guiding compass for our statements and actions. As retired officers of the armed forces and the police, and joined by civilian patriots, we call a spade a spade. We do not know how to play dirty politics. We do not know how to curry favour from those with power. We despise self-serving politicians. We support politicians with principles and genuinely work for the good of the people and nation.
While in service we had served our King and country with pride and honour. We have among us who had served during the 1st Emergency, Congo peacekeeping, confrontation with Indonesia, 2nd Emergency, and several dangerous UN peacekeeping missions. Those were real wartime service. Several among us are casualties from booby-traps and firefights with enemies. Several were awarded with gallantry medals. Patrolling the jungles where booby-traps could blow up our limbs, clearing mine fields, bombs defusing and bombs disposal, manning remote islands and long range naval patrols for months, patrolling the nation’s border, flying dangerous missions to resupply our troops, numerous secret and dangerous operations launched by the police against our nation’s enemies; these had been our contribution and we made no fuss.
DON’T ANYONE TELL US WE ARE NOT LOYAL TO OUR KING AND COUNTRY. DON’T ANYONE TELL US WE ‘MENGHINA’ OUR AGONG. Our loyalty to King and country is absolute, but we are free to question the elected representatives together with their actions.
From the outset we have been respectful to His Majesty and the Malay rulers. This has been our trait since the days we were in uniform as we were trained and instilled to be loyal to King and country. To this day we still are.
Patriot reserved our right to seek remedies in the appropriate forum.
Capt Dr Wong Ang Peng (Rtd)
Director of Public Communications
Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan
www.patriotkebangsaan.org.my
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