It was a rare sight for Kluang residents to see the DAP Member of Parliament Liew Chin Tong and Kluang UMNO Youth Chief Khairul Anwar Rahmat distributing dates and porridge together at the Kluang Ramadan Bazaar yesterday.

The scene was even more unsual because Liew, Mengkibol State Assemblyman Tan Hong Pin and other colleagues from Pakatan Rakyat had been chased away from the same bazaar last week by the organisers.

After the incident when Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives were prevented from giving out dates at the Ramadan bazaar in Kluang, on Friday the Kluang Umno Youth chief extended a personal invitation for them to attend the bazaar together.

“Congratulations to Khairul Anwar for being matured and open. He conceded that a Ramadan bazaar is a public place like a market and no one should be prevented from coming,”  posted Liew on Facebook.

Last Monday, a group of men sporting shirts with UMNO logos had stopped the Pakatan leaders from entering the bazaar to greet and distribute dates to visitors. A video was later posted showing a man known as “Abang Long” who claimed that the reason Liew and the rest were denied entry was because they had not produced any “letter of approval” to enter the bazaar.

Following the incident, netizens slammed “Abang Long”, saying that the Ramadhan Bazaar is a public space for all parties, and that attempts to stop the Opposition leaders for being unable to provide a letter is laughable and illogical.

Also, on the Majlis Perbandaran Kluang declared in a letter to Tan Hong Pin, that they had not assigned any bazaar attendants and that no one can be stopped from visiting its premises.-The Rocket