The PKR vice president said that the alleged threats to burn down the PKR office came despite the insistence of Umno vice president Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein and Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin of prioritising peace and safety.
“This shows that they are not able to control their boys. Both Khairy and the home minister must explain these actions,” Nurul Izzah (picture) told reporters.
The Lembah Pantai MP said that the only other explanation was that Umno leaders were saying one thing but ordering their grassroots to do another.
With Rembau MP Khairy away in Greece, other Umno Youth leaders have justified their gathering last night as the only way to ensure its political foe got the message that it will not tolerate any threats to its leadership.
Hundreds of Umno Youth members — dressed in the red T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Patriot” which were distributed yesterday at the launch of the wing’s Kelab Putera 1 Malaysia — were captured on video racing noisily on motorcycles around the PKR office in Petaling Jaya’s Merchant Square late last night, ahead of the July 9 Bersih rally.
They arrived at the office block, just a few doors away from the Tropicana police station, claiming that a death threat sent to Khairy recently came from the opposition party, which denied the allegation.
PKR accused Umno Youth in return, of threatening to burn down their headquarters, a charge which has also been denied by the BN wing.
Both Umno Youth and Perkasa are insisting on going ahead with counter rallies on the same day as Bersih’s march for electoral reform.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) hopes the demonstration will generate momentum ahead of a general elections expected within the year.
The first Bersih rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the streets of Kuala Lumpur before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannons.
The demonstration has been partly credited for PR’s record gains in Election 2008, where the opposition pact swept to power in five states and won 82 parliamentary seats.
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