CHAOS AT BAR COUNCIL 'CONVERSION' FORUM

Malaysiakini reported that the Bar Council forum on 'conversion' this morning was disrupted by almost 300 discontented muslim protestors staging a protest on this religious issue from being debated.

It was reported that there were echoes by repeatedly calling for “rempuh (charge)” by the angry muslim crowd and since sensing the rise in tension PAS leaders who took over the loudhailer and repeatedly reminded the crowd to remain calm and sit on the road until the forum is cancelled. Its learned that a GPMS leader who spoke repeatedly stoked the crowd into storming the Bar Council building if the forum does not end by 10am, the time given by the protesters to the forum organisers.

It was reported that even the normally firebrand cleric, Dr Badrul Amin Baharom of PKR tried to keep the crowd under control by setting a more relaxed tone for the demonstration “If no one disturb the religions of others, we would leave peacefully. We don’t disturb the Christians, the Hindus and the Buddhists. We urge that they do not incite (unrest) among the rakyat with religious issues. I’m sure even the non-Muslims are not happy with religious issues being played up,” said Badrul Amin, who is also a PKR supreme council member.

PKR Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin however broke ranks with his opposition colleagues when he called on the crowd to storm the building should the forum continue. “If you don’t hear from us at 10am, you should all storm the building,” he said, before he led a four-member delegation representing the protesters to state their position to the forum organisers.

Forum organisers were then forced to release participants through the back entrance of the building.

At about 10.24am, Zulkifli emerged from the Bar Council building and declared that the objective of the protest had been met as the forum has been cancelled.

The crowd dispersed around 10.30am.

news n photos courtesy of Malaysiakini