(Petaling Jaya, Monday): The Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Norian Mai, should explain why UMNO Youth Deputy Leader Datuk Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir is allowed to go on an anti-national rampage undermining inter-racial harmony, when a PAS youth leader would have been detained under ISA for doing half of what the UMNO Youth leader had done.
Last Friday, in utter disregard and disrespect of sensitivities of a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious Malaysia, Abdul Aziz led an unruly, abusive and gangsterish UMNO Youth demonstration at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur to protest against the Malaysian Chinese Organisation Elections Appeals Committee (Suqiu).
Inflammatory and racist placards were displayed during the UMNO Youth demonstration threatening a racial conflict, reporters and photographers were manhandled and abused, while threats to "burn down the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall" were issued.
Many had questioned where were the police water cannons and FRU last Friday when UMNO Youth staged not only an illegal assembly, but a highly unruly, abusive and gangsterish demonstration reminiscent of UMNO Youth’s lawless and gangsterish break-up of the Second Asia-Pacific Conference on East Timor (APCET) in Kuala Lumpur in November 1996.
What would have happened if the MCA Youth had been equally insensitive about Malaysia’s plural society and had staged a similar unruly, abusive and gangsterish demonstration outside say the Malay Chamber of Commerce, displaying racist and inflammatory placards and threatening to "burn down the Malay Chamber of Commerce"? Wouldn’t this have sparked off a "racial confrontation"?
What is even more deplorable is that Abdul Aziz and UMNO Youth are trying to escalate racial tensions in the country, threatening an even "bigger" demonstration if Suqiu Committee does not heed the UMNO Youth’s one-week ultimatum by Thursday to apologise for the Suqui demands.
Again, what would have happened if a PAS youth leader had led an unruly, abusive and gangsterish demonstration outside the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, issuing a one-week ultimatum with the threat to burn down the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall? There is no doubt that such a PAS youth leader would have immediately been detained under the Internal Security Act for inflaming racial sentiments, tensions and animosities among the various races in the country and actions detrimental to national security!
Tan Sri Norian Mai should realise that UMNO Youth and Abdul Aziz have placed the police credibility, independence, professionalism and integrity under a very great test and the police have not acquitted itself very impressively or creditably so far.
Abdul Aziz and UMNO Youth should in fact apologise and drop their unreasonable demand that the Suqiu Committee withdraw and apologise for the Suqiu demands as they cannot be unaware that MCA, Gerakan and SUPP had declared their full support for the 17-point Suqiu demands on August 17 last year.
Or are they next going to demand that MCA, Gerakan and SUPP leaders, namely Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik and Datuk Law Hieng Ding should publicly withdraw and apologise for supporting the Suqiu demands before the last general election?
It is most regrettable that there are no signs that any top government leader, whether Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad or the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Abdullah Badawi, is heeding the DAP call that they should put a stop to the irresponsible politicking by extremist, desperate and bankrupt UMNO leaders who are prepared to plunge the country into a communal and political crisis just to serve their political ends to restore Malay political support.
All Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political beliefs, who love Malaysia and cherish inter-racial harmony, should step forward to condemn the irresponsible politicking of UMNO Youth and Abdul Aziz and make clear that there is no place for such political desperados and reckless communal politicking in Malaysia in the new millennium.
The Barisan Nasional Cabinet and Government, in particular, must make
a categorical stand to denounce UMNO Youth and Abdul Aziz for the unruly,
abusive, gangsterish and provocative demonstration at the Selangor Chinese
Assembly Hall last Friday and the threats of a bigger demonstration
and to "burn down the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall" on the expiry
of its baseless and ridiculous one-week ultimatum.
(21/8/2000)