KUALA LUMPUR – A misunderstanding and provocation are said to be the cause of an incident in which a politician is accused of making criminal threats by displaying a pistol during the committee election of a political party in Tambun, near Ipoh.
Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said that based on initial investigations, the victim who made the report had attended the location of the incident at the community hall near Tg Rambutan to monitor the election process of the political party’s committee.
He said that although the motive behind the incident is still under investigation, initial findings revealed that the suspect, a politician, had seen supporters of the complainant creating an obstruction to prevent the public from entering the hall.
“As a result, the politician allegedly pulled out an object resembling a pistol from the back of his waist and handed it to his personal assistant, who was standing behind him.
“According to the victim (the complainant), the actions of the suspect (the politician) caused fear for him and his friend, who was also at the scene.
“While at the location, a misunderstanding and provocation occurred between the victim and the suspect, who is also a local man and a politician. The motive of the incident is still under investigation,” he said in a statement today.
He added that the complaint about the incident was received by the Ipoh Police Headquarters at 12.28 pm yesterday, in which the individual described himself as the victim of the incident.
“Currently, the police are recording statements from witnesses involved to assist in the investigation under Section 506 of the Penal Code, which involves the offence of criminal intimidation,” he said.
Earlier, Noor Hisam confirmed that the police would record a statement from the Hulu Kinta assemblyperson Muhamad Arafat Varisai Mahad regarding allegations of criminal intimidation by showing a pistol to several individuals this week.
He said that police had called Arafat to record his statement regarding the allegation, but the elected representative had not yet attended.
Last night, in a statement, Arafat denied the allegation that he had displayed a pistol during the election.
He described the accusations spread in a viral video on social media as slander and politically motivated.
“Every time a party election is held, there are parties who spread slander for their own political interests.
“The public can assess the timing of this accusation, which surfaced conveniently on the day of voting,” he said.
It is understood that Arafat is busy with campaign activities in the upcoming Ayer Kuning State Legislative Assembly by-election. – 14 April, 2025