Over the last few days, there has been much media reporting and much public talk on the planned Red Shirt rally.
There is no doubt that is overwhelming voice against the rally as well as tremendous worry about the rally which is an obvious racial rally.
Peaceful assembly is part and parcel of a democracy. However, no one should abuse such democratic right to plan a racial rally aimed at inciting racial tension or one that can cause racial chaos.
It is so clear that the planned Red Shirt rally has caused much worry among Malaysians due to its racial nature. Surely the Prime Minister and the government are fully aware of it. And even if they are not aware, MCA leaders would have reported to them.
Yet why did the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib say after chairing Umno Supreme Council meeting last night that Umno would not ask its members not to attend the rally?
Najib can say many words like “don’t use rally to incite racial tension, organizers must obey the law, but he must make clear the most important point, that is, as the Prime Minister who talked about 1 Malaysia concept, he is totally against the Red Shirt rally and he encourages no one to attend the rally.
Najib has instead said the opposite, that Umno will not stop its members from attending the rally. Was he not giving tacit endorsement to the rally?
Najib’s has therefore not only given the wrong message to Umno members and Malaysians, his motive should be questioned.
Is he trying to hijack the rally and make it into a pro Najib rally?
I wish to also question MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai‘s motive in continuing to make baseless attacks against the DAP.
One one hand, Liow has said he is opposed to the rally, yet at the same time, he has not stopped making baseless attacks against DAP.
He has accused DAP of hijacking Bersih 4.0 rally , spreading racial hatred, even blamed DAP for the isolated incident at the rally where two participants stomped on a photograph of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
The Red Shirt group was already ready to take a confrontationist approach against Bersih rally on August 29 but they backed down after police’s advice and did not proceed with their planned rally.
Now racial approach has been used to incite racial sentiment, with false accusations being made against DAP to mislead and create hostile feelings among some Malays.
Liow Tiong Lai’s continued baseless attacks against DAP and racialising the Bersih 4 rally at this time clearly has a political agenda—to escalate the hostile racial feelings against DAP and Bersih.
Why must he be so irresponsible to dance to the racist tune of the extremists?