Cops to call up Waytha to explain 11-year-old video

KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy (pic) will be called by the police to explain a controversial old video that has resurfaced and gone viral on social media.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said the senator would be asked to explain the allegations and on what basis these were made, Bernama reported him as saying.

The two-minute and 39-second video of Waytha Moorthy’s interview with a Dutch TV, recorded shortly after the Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) rally in November 2007, started circulating on social media recently and created an uproar among certain quarters.

The clip shows him making allegedly disparaging remarks on Malaysia’s supposed abuse of human rights involving the Indian community.

The Hindraf chairman has since clarified that the video was done under a “very different context” then.

Waytha Moorthy, who is now the minister in charge of unity, told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday that he would give his full cooperation to the police, adding that “everybody knows the real issue”.

A petition calling for Waytha Moorthy to be sacked has so far garnered over 100,000 signatures.

The petition on change.org is by Gerakan Pengundi Sedar, posted by one Aiman Haziq last Sunday and addressed to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

At his event yesterday, Noor Rashid also said the police had received more than 150 reports over the ratifying of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and would investigate from all aspects.

“We have opened investigation papers on the case and will be calling several individuals for their statements to be recorded,” he told reporters at the handing over of duties, pinning of ranks and presentation of the Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara ceremony at the Police Training Centre here.

On the planned protest gatherings over ICERD here on Dec 8, he reminded the organisers to respect the law.

“This is a democratic country and all parties have freedom of expression, but we have laws such as the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 which must be obeyed,” he added.

On another matter, Noor Rashid said police would be calling Jaringan Melayu Malaysia president Datuk Azwanddin Hamzah over his post that claims the Defence Ministry was under pressure and under threat.

“The police take a serious view of this as it touches on national security,” he said.