Ngeh forgives culprits who tried to burn his house, tells them not to be 'manipulated'

DAP’S BERUAS MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham today said he forgives the perpetrators who tried to burn his house by throwing an explosive into his residential property at Ayer Tawar town in Perak, stressing that they may have been manipulated by certain quarters.

“I forgive those who wanted to burn my cars, my house, and my family as they may have been influenced.

“I hope that they repent. Do not be deceived by any party,” he said, adding that the home was not fitted with CCTV cameras.

He also expressed his gratitude to the police as well as the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) for responding to his emergency call very promptly, thus preventing the flames from spreading.

“The house could have been burned down completely if not for their quick action,” he said at a press conference at the DAP’s Ayer Tawar service centre in Manjung district of Perak.

The porch of his house and three cars were burnt when a Molotov cocktail was hurled into the premise at Lorong Semarak Jaya at about 2.50am today.

The Ayer Tawar Fire and Rescue Station had rushed its personnel and vehicles to the scene as soon as they received an emergency call at 3.05am.

No one was injured. The operation ended at 4.44am after the fire was extinguished.

The vehicles that got burnt were a Mercedes E300, a Honda CRV and a Toyota Hilux.

Ngeh, a former Perak Assembly speaker and ex-state executive councillor, stressed that he has not harboured any undue quarrel with anyone, and has been professional in his dealings.

He said that his family has lived in Ayer Tawar for five generations.

“As far as I know I have no enmity with anyone here,” he said, adding that he did not feel there was a need to have a CCTV system at his residence.

Ngeh pointed to politicians from rival parties who had “manipulated” a statement he had made on December 28 by falsely giving a picture that he was interfering in Muslim affairs and even claiming that he was anti-Islamic.

He said that leaders from PAS and Bersatu had accused him after he had given his views on the Federal Constitution.

He claimed that they painted it as though he was questioning Islamic law.

“When I saw that my suggestion had been manipulated… that was why I retracted and apologised,” he said.

“We must not allow such groups to manipulate the emotions of the public.

“Lower your voice, increase your reason, not your emotion,” he said. “I have never been anti-Islamic. It has been proven in court.”

Ngeh stressed that he will not allow the incident to affect his work as a parliamentarian.

“I want to help the voiceless and the downtrodden as a lawyer and MP,” he said.

He added that he had not received any threatening call or message prior to the attack.

“Looks like I have to install a CCTV now, one that is sophisticated,” he said, sparking laughter at the press conference.

Bottle used as Molotov cocktail found

Recounting the incident, Ngeh said that he and his wife were asleep in their bedroom when she heard an alarm bell and someone shouting “fire, fire”.

She could not see from the window as the room was above the porch, but upon going downstairs, she saw that the Mercedes was on fire.

She then hurried upstairs and called him.

“I rushed down and saw fire engulfing the car,” he recalled. The porch of the house had also caught fire.

“At the front of the car, I saw a glass bottle with small flame. I already suspected it was an arson then.

“I called the Ayer Tawar police station and the fire station. The bomba arrived and successfully doused the fire.”

Ngeh said he then took the broken bottle and its fragments.

He added that he noticed there was something like a wick, similar to what is found in fireworks, suggesting that it was used as a Molotov cocktail.

“I call on all political parties and religious groups to act responsibly and not stir up matters,” he said. – The Vibes, January 10, 2024