KUNDASANG: Police are able to handle the Bersih 4 rally with the Armed Forces ready for any eventuality, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said.
"I am sure the police will be able to handle the rally if it goes on (today),’ ’he said adding that the Armed Forces was only the last line defence in the event of public unrest.
"If the law calls for the Armed Forces to intervene then they are ready as it is the responsibility of the Armed Forces," Hishammuddin said.
He was commenting on the rationale behind Armed Forces chief Jen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin's statement that the Armed Forces would only in cases of emergency.
"I was at the same press conference with him (Tan Sri Zulkifeli). What he meant was that if the law calls for military intervention because of an emergency, the Armed Forces will be ready because it is their responsibility.
"However, many people have spun the story on social media by saying that the Armed Forces wants to intervene in the rally," he said.
"I was personally involved in the Lahad Datu intrusion and we all saw what was spread on social media at that time and 99 percent of them were untrue," he added.
He said if the Bersih rally goes on there would be many people spreading "lots of stories and rumours on social media."
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