His statement does nothing to further cause of unity, says Bar
Council chief

PETALING JAYA: Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah
should be investigated for racial incitement under Section 505 (c) of the
Penal Code, say lawyers.

Bar Council president Christopher Leong told theSun yesterday that
such statements made by Mohd Noor regarding Chinese Malaysians last Sunday
could be seen as an offence.

He said Mohd Noor, who is also a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
complaints committee member, should be relieved of all his responsibilities
and posts in light of his statements.

Section 505 (c) makes it an offence for anyone to make statements that
can incite, or are likely to incite a class or community of people to commit
any offence against another class or community of people.

Leong, however, cautioned that Mohd Noor’s statements have to be
investigated in its context.

“I think the statement by the former Court of Appeal judge does
nothing to further the cause of unity in Malaysia and may cause more
friction and fracture in our multiracial country,” he said.

Mohd Noor had, on Sunday, warned Malaysian Chinese to expect a
backlash from the Malays for their perceived betrayal in the May 5 election.

“When Malays are betrayed, there is a backlash and the Chinese must
bear the consequences of a Malay backlash,” he said during the “GE13 Post
Mortem: Muslim Leadership and Survival” forum organised by the Federation of
Peninsula Malay Students (GPMS) and the UiTM Alumni Association.

Other lawyers agreed that Mohd Noor may be investigated under Section
505 (c) for racial incitement.

Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights coordinator
Edmund Bon said: “The statements are without factual basis and uncalled for,
raising unnecessary alarm in society.”

Lawyers For Liberty co-founder Eric Paulsen also condemned Mohd Noor’s
statements, saying it was shocking such racism could be uttered at a public
event.

“If these statements were made in any other modern and democratic
state, Mohd Noor would have been severely censured by the authorities, asked
to resign from his posts or even investigated for possible criminal
offences,” he said.

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

The Sun Daily
by TAN YI LIANG