Low Yat donnybrook result of race politics, group says
(Malay Mail Online) – Malaysia’s racially-charged politics is the cause of the brawls and vandalism that occurred at the Low Yat Plaza shopping mall this weekend, said the Centre for a Better for Tomorrow (CENBET).
According to the moderate-leaning group today, the antagonists of the clashes that left five people injured and three arrested were mimicking the behaviour of the country’s politicians who ply voters with racial or religious rhetoric in order to drum up support.
“The Low Yat Plaza incident should also serve as a reminder that ordinary citizens are only learning from some of our political or community leaders who fall back on race and religion either to push for their personal agendas or justify their wrongdoings.
“When people in power or influence play the racial and religious cards, their followers would naturally follow suit,” CENBET co-president Gan Ping Sieu said in a statement today.
According to Gan, the police and Attorney-General’s Chambers must take appropriate action in the Low Yat case without regard to both race and religion, in order to calm tempers and reassure Malaysians that authorities will not brook racial incitement in this or other incidents.
Quick action is needed to ensure the isolated incident does not become a contagion that spreads to the rest of the nation, the MCA leader added.
The Malaysian public must also do their part by punishing the politicians who have or continue to use race and religion as a divisive platform, and vote such characters out of office, Gan said.
“We are particularly troubled to note that a simple alleged theft or sale of goods could end up as a racially-charged affair which touched on our collective raw nerves in this holy month of Ramadhan.
“It also demonstrates how fragile our society has become, a few weeks shy of our 58th Independence anniversary,” Gan added.
Reports over the cause of the unrest are contradictory, with one version claiming it was triggered by a foiled shoplifting attempt and another purporting it to be due to a youth’s unhappiness over being sold a counterfeit mobile phone.
The incident led to a mob descending on the mall on Saturday where they assaulted shop workers and caused RM70,000 in damage.
Earlier today, police arrested three more people following fresh fights that broke out after midnight outside Low Yat Plaza here that reportedly left five people injured — three of them believed to be journalists.
The trio who were arrested in the latest commotion, were aged between 22 and 25, Bernama reported, citing city police chief Datuk Tajudin Md Isa.
Malaysia continues to endure the legacy of communal politics owing to its race-based parties, and the situation has been exacerbated by the growing rise of religion as a new platform for politicians to gain favour with voters.
Friction among Malaysia’s religious communities have already led to sporadic protests by groups of one faith against another, along with vilification over alleged proselytisation in both directions.
Communal politics were blamed for the May 13, 1969 racial riots that reportedly left hundreds of Malaysians dead in the deadly clashes following the general election of the year.
