Police shoot down Chegubard’s conspiracy claim

March 22, 2023

Police shoot down Chegubard’s conspiracy claim

PETALING JAYA: The police have denied favouring youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh in their investigation into the “Jom Ziarah” initiative, a programme run by an agency under the ministry to foster better understanding among youths of different faiths.

Bersatu’s Badrul Hisham Shaharin, better known as Chegubard, yesterday alleged a cover-up in the investigation as non-Muslim officers were investigating his claims that Yeoh was using the programme to proselytise Christianity to Muslim youths.

Sentul police chief Beh Eng Lai told FMT that police officers, regardless of race and religion, conduct fair and impartial investigations.

“The claim is false, and it was purely coincidental,” he said. “Police conduct fair investigations, and the officer’s race has no bearing on our investigation.”

Beh said senior officers, the majority of whom are Malays, are also monitoring the investigation.

Speaking to reporters outside the Sentul police station yesterday, Badrul claimed that the move to get non-Muslim officers to investigate his claims was due to “pressure from above”.

He told Malaysiakini that Yeoh’s police report against him was handed to a Chinese inspector, while his report against the minister was given to an Indian inspector.

Last week, Yeoh’s aide lodged a police report against Badrul after he linked Impact Malaysia, a non-profit organisation under Yeoh’s ministry, to Christian evangelism.

An NGO focusing on youth development, Impact Malaysia had organised a visit to a church in Klang last Sunday as part of the programme. It was cancelled following the controversy surrounding it.

Badrul subsequently lodged a police report against Yeoh, accusing her of proselytising Christianity to Muslim youths through the programme.

Yeoh later revealed that Muslims were barred from the said programme.