Liu bungled by-laws in 1 Malaysia ban, claims Khir Toyo
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 — Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo has waded into Selangor’s 1 Malaysia kerfuffle, saying Ronnie Liu was “uneducated” about local laws and had misinterpreted existing rules in imposing a state-wide ban on 1 Malaysia billboards.
The former Selangor mentri besar said the by-law which existed under his administration had always allowed business premises to display political banners be it from Barian Nasional (BN) or Pakatan Rakyat (PR), stressing that the ban was only limited to areas under the authority of the local municipal councils.
The PR state government has however maintained that its ban on 1 Malaysia billboards was legitimate, but said that it only applied to business advertisements/billboards and not buntings for political functions.
“The by-laws did not mean that political parties could not post up their symbols or logos in business premises. Owners have a right to do so, if they wish. You can put anything in any premise as long as it is in Bahasa Malaysia. The only thing you cannot do is to put up logos on areas under the purview of the local municipal council- lamp posts, streets.
“I’m very sorry to say this, but Ronnie Liu is not a learned person on this matter, he seems to be uneducated on the local laws. Perhaps he should refer to a legal advisor,” Khir told The Malaysian Insider.
The ban has now been temporarily frozen pending a review.
The Sungai Panjang assemblyman stressed that the by-laws, which were in place since 2007 was not “rigid” as it allowed business premises to display political allegiance as long as it did not “disturb the sensitivities of the many races in Selangor.
“This Ronnie Liu fellow, he probably did not read the by-laws, he does not seem to have a clue,” he said.
According to Dr Khir, the ban was a move by the state government and not part of the existing by-laws.
