DAP wants PKR rep to apologise over kangkung stunt to prevent any violence
The DAP veteran warned that Malaysia could indeed see a repeat of the 1969 racial riot if extremists and intolerant groups are allowed to continue with their “campaign of racial and religious hatred”.
DAP has urged PKR assemblyman Lee Khai Loon to apologise for stuffing the effigy of the prime minister with kangkung, so that extremist groups will not use the incident to incite more racial hatred.
Its adviser Lim Kit Siang said Lee should “consider an apology” as there are certain quarters, including him, who see the latter’s actions as “excessive, offensive and insensitive”.
“But an even more important consideration is not to allow irresponsible quarters to look for excuses to distort and manipulate incidents to escalate racial and religious hatred to create another May 13 in the country,” he said in a statement today.
“Lee has to decide whether to apologise, which hopefully will start a virtuous circle for all political leaders and activists to be extraordinarily sensitive to the current inflamed political situation.”
He, however, added that Lee had already explained that he had never meant to insult Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak but it was to highlight the people’s burden and hardship as a result of the price hikes.
On January 15, Lee led a kangkung flash mob in Penang where he stuffed the vegetable into an effigy of Najib triggering an outrage by Penang Umno, who then led demonstrations in the state and had threatened the repeat of the May 13 racial riots.
They had carried banners, one of which read: “Because of DAP’s leader’s mouth, May 13, 1969 happened… Want some more?”
Lim said that the threat to start yet another racial riot is the most “irresponsible, dangerous, and seditious incitement of racial and religious hatred, tension and conflict”.
“In the first place, the DAP was not involved in any manner with the PKR’s Machang Bubuk assemblyman’s ‘kangkung’ flash mob which the Penang Umno and their allies were protesting against,” he said.
The DAP veteran warned that Malaysia could indeed see a repeat of the 1969 racial riot if extremists and intolerant groups are allowed to continue with their “campaign of racial and religious hatred”.
