A current UMNO MP from the northern state of Perlis who has been accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl, has spoken to local Malay-language daily Harian Metro to say that it was all “just a misunderstanding.”
According to the unnamed elected official, the situation occurred in a public area, and with a girl whose family he has known “for a long time, for almost two years.”
Previously, allegations flew that the MP used intimidation tactics against the girl and her family to retract the police report they filed earlier this month on the matter, something that he has denied to Harian Metro, along with also denying that he provided them any monetary compensation for their silence.
“I do not want to prolong the matter as I pity the student who has a bright future ahead,” he told the daily.
Excuse me, what now?
Malaysian Crime Watch (MyWatch) chairman R. Sri Sanjeevan brought the situation to public attention, after claiming that the politician threatened the girl to retract her report, or there would be serious repercussions for the alleged victim and her family.
Perlis police have confirmed that an investigation has been launched, even though the girl has retracted her report. Sources have revealed that the report was retracted the very same day it was made, October 20.
The MP is being questioned by central police headquarters, Bukit Aman, today. Latheefa Koya, activist and co-founder of Lawyers for Liberty has demanded a thorough investigation, and also questioned why the initial report was so quickly dismissed without due process to establish the veracity of the allegations.
There are three parliamentary seats in Perlis: Kangar, which is held by Pakatan Harapan, and Arau and Padang Besar, both UMNO seats.
The Arau MP is Shahidan Kassim, who is also state UMNO liaison chief, while Padang Besar MP is Zahidi Zainul Abidin. Noor Amin Ahmad is Kangar’s Pakatan Harapan MP.
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