KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 13: Opposition leaders held a joint press conference at Low Yat Plaza today to call for cool heads to prevail over the fracas that broke out last night at the popular electronics mall.
DAP national vice chairperson Teresa Kok (centre, in maroon) said she hopes the police will station more uniformed police officers in the area to ensure the safety of tourists and patrons of the mall.
A fight reportedly broke out when a customer, who was accused of stealing a smartphone was apprehended by several salespersons when he tried to escape. The man then returned with seven people and created a ruckus, damaging the shop. Later that night night, a mob of some 200 had gathered outside the mall, where they allegedly tried to enter the shop forcibly. Police managed to disperse the crowd a few hours later.
The incident was tinged with a racial slant as several blogs and social media posts alleged that the fight happened because the customer, who is Malay, was sold a fake phone by a salesperson, who is Chinese.
In light of the tense situation that resulted, opposition leaders including DAP MPs Teresa Kok, Fong Kui Lun and Tan Kok Wai and PKR MPs Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi Ramli said the situation must not be played out as a racial issue in order to distract the rakyat from what’s really important, such as the 1MDB scandal and more.
Kok, who is Seputeh MP, called for the police to station more uniformed personnel in the area, so as to ensure the safety of customers and tourists.
“We also call on the rakyat to send messages of peace, and harmony, and to stop the spread of false news,” she added.
Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who was there as a representative of the newly-launched Gerakan Harapan Baru, condemned the actions of those who formed the mob last night.
“I condemn (their actions) strongly. For those who tried to make this an Islam issue, for those who tried to make this a racial issue, I condemn. This is not Islam, this is not a jihad (holy war). This is purely a sales transaction issue, not a racial issue,” he stressed.
Khalid also asked for the rakyat not to be tricked and distracted by this issue over more pressing matters, such as corruption in the country.
PKR Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said the fracas is also a failure of the Barisan Nasional government and the Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives Ministry to ensure proper recourse for consumers in these situations.
Meanwhile, Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun said that he hopes security will be tightened by both the police as well as the management of Low Yat,
“The incidents of the past night should not have happened, it was a business transaction. I believe it was a business transaction and it was a theft (as the reports have said). It was retaliation that led to it becoming a racial issue,” he said when approached after the press conference.
Also present at the press conference was activist and national laureate A. Samad Said, fondly known as Pak Samad, who said expressed his dismay at the incident.
Samad, who is also a DAP member, said: “This country has been independent for nearly six decades and it’s very unfortunate that this has happened… It is very easy to destroy (peace) but it is very hard to rebuild.”
Other MPs who attended the press conference PAS Kuala Kerai MP Dr Hatta Ramli and PKR Batu MP Tian Chua.
– The Rocket
