There is an attempt to silence critics of Zakir Naik, said Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, minutes after he was questioned by police for his alleged links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Ramasamy said the issue of supporting the LTTE never arose before the Zakir Naik issue. The deputy chief minister has always been a vocal critic of the controversial Islamic preacher.
He said his role in Sri Lanka as a peace moderator has now been misinterpreted as supporting the LTTE.
“I believe these claims (linking me to LTTE) are to stop me from criticising Zakir. Personally, I have nothing against the preacher.
“But don’t slander the non-Muslims, don’t provoke us and don’t question our loyalty.
“I was born here, I received my education here, I got married here and I will die here,” Ramasamy told reporters after having his statement taken by the police in Bukit Aman today.
He stood by his remarks in two recent articles questioning the police force and explaining his alleged ties to the LTTE group in a three-hour interview at the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters.
The first article was titled ‘New government but the same old police force’. In it, Ramasamy questioned the police for gunning down three men in Batu Arang, Selangor, last month.
In the second article, titled ‘Who am I, peacemaker or terrorist’, Ramasamy explained his alleged ties to LTTE and his role as an advocate for peace.
He told reporters he was also shown two video clips of himself.
“They showed me the clips and told me there were hundreds of police reports lodged,” he said.
Ramasamy himself has lodged a report with the police against those responsible for spreading one of the videos, showing him speaking in Chennai.
He said this had been done to paint him in a bad light.
Ramasamy was questioned under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and other terrorism-related charges. He arrived at Bukit Aman at about 10am, accompanied by his lawyer and former Malaysian Bar president Ragunath Kesavan.