Whilst UMNO Penang must be condemned for living in the past and raising the threat of May 13 again, the real victim is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia. No one is surprised that 1Malaysia is rarely if ever mentioned nowadays by UMNO or BN.
Police Reports will be lodged by Penang DAP elected representatives against Penang UMNO for their racist attacks against non-Malays and issuing threats such as ‘Because of DAP’s leaders mouth, May 13, 1969 happened… Want some more?’. This threat is a tacit admission by UMNO that they caused the May 13 bloody riots in 1969 that caused the loss of thousands of innocent lives.
Penang UMNO had organised a demonstration in Seberang Jaya against a kangkung-theme flash mob by PKR Machang Bubuk assemblyperson Lee Khai Loon that they claimed ridiculed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for stating that kangkung price has gone down not gone up like other products. The 700-person rally by Penang UMNO was attended by UMNO Supreme Council member and Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican (left) and Perkasa Penang leaders.
The state government has no problem with UMNO’s public demonstration against anyone as long as it is peaceful. We wish to remind the police to permit similar peaceful demonstrations by PR in future. The UMNO rally quickly turned racial when DAP’s top leaders were targetted even though Lee Khai Loon is from PKR. Is DAP an easier and softer target for UMNO because we are Chinese unlike PKR top leaders like Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who are Malays?
Police reports against top Penang UMNO leaders for threatening public peace and harmony as well as seditious remarks will be made, not in the expectation of any action by the Attorney-General Chambers, but to send a strong signal that neither the Penang state government and DAP nor the people will bow down to UMNO’s threats. Not just DAP but Chinese, Indian, Malay, Kadazans and Ibans do not want a May 13 Incident, only UMNO is issuing such threats to play with the fires of racial and religious hatred to run away from their responsibility for price hikes.
UMNO is in a vulnerable position in Penang because Penang PR state government is the only state government in Malaysia that did not implement any price hikes in local services under its control. Local assessment, quit rent, business licenses fees and water tariffs were not increased unlike BN’s increasing sugar, TNB tariffs, petrol and highway tolls. Corruption has gone from bad to worse.
To avoid BN’s sole responsibility for the price hikes and corruption, UMNO has no choice but to stoke the fires of religious and racial hatred against non-Muslims and non-Malays to maintain their grip on the Malay vote. UMNO must be naïve if they think that the Malays are so gullible to believe UMNO’s extremist rhetoric, when price hikes continue despite UMNO’s rallies and do not lighten the financial burden faced by the people.