SHAH ALAM: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has shot down calls to disarm Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry enforcement officers following a recent incident where a pirated VCD peddler was seriously injured in a scuffle with an enforcement officer.
He said that not all enforcement personnel would commit similar action as the officer concerned.
"We may not be able to do that because of what one man had done," he told a news conference after opening the 12th general assembly of the Indian Progressive Front (IPF), here, Sunday.
Abdullah was asked on calls by various groups to rethink the use of guns by enforcement personnel of government agencies in light of the shooting of the pirated VCD peddler.
On Thursday night, Yeoh Yew Jin, 19, was reported to be fighting for his life after being shot by an enforcement officer during a raid on pirated VCD sales in Jalan Gotlieb, Penang.
According to a news report Saturday, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal has said the officer who discharged his firearm had done it in self-defence.
Abdullah said he did not wish to give his opinion on the case as it may jeopardise the investigation into the case. "Most importantly, investigation is currently being conducted," he said.
Asked on news reports on the indication by PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to form a coalition, Abdullah declined to comment. "That's all about them There's no need for me to comment," he said.- Bernama