Leave them Kids alone. The Sultan of Selangor has expressed disgust with certain parties for involving children in their demonstrations and campaigns. I couldn't agree more with the Sultan. Children are a powerful tool to draw attention, as in ads and campaigns, or to buy sympathy, as in street demonstrations and specific campaigns. In extreme circumstances, kids are used by adults as a shield.
Sultan Disappointed Wi
Use Of Children Iful Demonstration
PETALING JAYA, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has expressed concerns over the use of children in campaigns organised by certain groups and individuals in pursuit of their personal interests.
The Ruler conveyed his concern to Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar prior to his departure overseas last Friday.
"The Sultan is disappointed with the actions by some irresponsible people for exploiting children in their campaigns or demonstrations.
"He has expressed concern on the matter and wants the police to take stern action against those involved," Khalid told reporters here Saturday.
As such, he said, police would not hesitate to take action against anyone who used children in unlawful activities.
On the Bar Council's tendencies to be critical of the actions taken by the police, Khalid said, as a respectable body, the council should have acted in the interests of the law and not otherwise.
He also said that police were preparing investigation papers with a view of charging Sungai Siput member of parliament Dr D. Jeyakumar, who was detained in Rawang, for using children in the "Cycling for Change" campaign organised by Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit) or the Oppressed People Network.
In the Dec 15 incident, 58 people, including 28 who were below the age of 18, were detained for participating in an illegal gathering.
-- BERNAMA
p.s. Some of you may choose not to believe the article for it quotes the Selangor police chief (there is a campaign to ask the Sultan to sack the police chief, I heard) so what I did was to ask an aide of the Sultan was really unhappy, as the article puts it. The aide said the Sultan said it in front of several people at the KLIA.
Click h e r e for an article on Unicef's take about children and demonstrations.
updated, near midnight: RPK, in his article Using his name in vain, is suggesting that the Selangor police chief could be lying through his teeth.
Excerpts:
"Now, the CPO of Selangor, said that the police took action against the JERIT cyclists because the Sultan of Selangor was not happy that the opposition was using children for political ends. Did the Sultan personally meet the ‘children’ and personally check their birth certificates to verify their ages and got confirmation from reliable sources that the ‘children’ were in fact ‘being used’ by the opposition? Or, is the CPO, just like in so many incidences before this over the last 30 years, using the Sultan’s name, as usual?
"Yes, it seems the Sultan told the CPO just before His Highness left for an overseas trip that he is not happy the opposition is using children and that he told the police to take action. How convenient that the Sultan is overseas when action was taken."
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