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Catch the real troublemakers
The fracas at Low Yat Plaza in Bukit Bintang on July 6, which led to fistfights, racial abuse and destruction of property, could have resulted in worse damage had it not been for the swift action of the police
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T
he fracas at Low Yat Plaza in Bukit Bintang on July 6, which led to fistfights, racial abuse and destruction of property, could have resulted in worse damage had it not been for the swift action of the police.
What is clear from the statements issued by the authorities was that a Malay youth had stolen a smartphone.
But the youth and his accomplice were caught by staff at the Oppo Malaysia shop nearby who handÂÂed them over to security guards, who in turn called the police.
The accomplice was somehow released and came back later to the mall with several others and started attacking the Oppo Malaysia staff.
What started as a simple case of theft became something more sinister because of false news disseminated by irresponsible elements in the country.
Active instigation by some to stir up anti-Chinese feelings was evident: some alleged that a Malay shopper had been cheated by a Chinese trader who sold him a fake phone, while others alleged that Islam was being insulted, although it is hard to see how and why this was done, if it was done at all.
The police must be commended for the quick action in arresting the troublemakers, and Inspector-GeneÂÂral of Police Khalid Abu Bakar has come out clearly and firmly with the facts that led to the brawl, leaving no doubt that it was a case of theft.
IGP Khalid also ordered the arrests of the infamous blogger Papagomo and others suspected of inciting the people with false news.
We should not burden the police and the rest of the community too often with incidents like this, which could easily have led to riots and possible loss of life.
Already shoppers are now afraid to visit Low Yat Plaza and we could be driving the tourists away with news like this, especially when we have a chequerÂed history of race relations.
It is to be expected that the goÂÂvernÂment's immediate reaction is to warn the public that it will use the SeÂÂdition Act to deter them from utÂÂtering inflammatory statements but this is not a long-term solution to the problem: at best it will just make the troublemakers go underground.
Who are these troublemakers?
A non-Malay political party in the governing coalition has expressed anger at the Malay rights group Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Pekida) for allegedly mobilising its members to descend on Low Yat Plaza ' and these same individuals allegedly got involved in the fights.
Pekida president Jalaluddin YuÂÂsof denied that his group was involved but promised an 'internal investigation' if members had taken part.
Another group ' the Ikatan MusliÂmin Malaysia (Isma) ' blamed Chinese Malaysians for insensitivity towards Islam while racist online bloggers have been spreading false news about Malay victimisation and were calling for 'reinforcements' after the riot.
It is time the government revisits how it deals with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other informal groups in the country.
Some NGOs espouse ideas that do not find favour with the establishment: they may for example champion human rights or gay rights while others might be fighting for racial equality or the plight of the orang asli.
Even environmentalists sometimes get the short end of the stick, but what these groups have in common is that they are not violent ' they might be critical of the governÂment and might use social media to discredit politicians, but that is to be expected in the world today. As long as they do not espouse violence or promote hatred, they should not be classified as troublemakers.
The real troublemakers are those who band together to promote racial hatred and operate as vigilantes in the defence of their 'cause'.
Some of these might even be seen as supporters of the establishment, perhaps because in the early days they were promoted and supported by some of our top leaders.
Pekida is one such example, and I am sure the real purpose of its formation ' stemming from our ethnic animosity on May 13, 1969 ' was nobler than its current persona suggests. Papagomo himself was once the darling of the establishment, too.
However, we are no longer fighting one another and surely we want to build a country that will last for the benefit of all of us: such a country must obviously be a peaceful one.
If the concern is about Malays deÂfenÂÂding this country, the Armed ForÂÂces, police and the paramilitary groups such as Rela are predominantly Malay, so do we need more race-based 'volunteers' to keep the peace?
When I was in Umno, some Pekida members offered to 'help' me with my political work but I did not think their skillset was useful in making Umno the party of choice in my constituency.
Now we have groups like Isma who on the surface look like the champions of Islam and Muslims, but I wonder if the country needs such groups that are at best extremely impolite (and some say violent) in the way they express their views when 'defending the honour of Islam'.
After all, we already have the feÂÂdeÂÂral government with the powerful Department of Islamic DevelopÂment (Jakim) at the forefront as well as state religious bodies, the state governments and the Malay Rulers to defend and promote Islam.
What I am suggesting is that the government looks deeper into the leaders of these rights-based NGOs and see how they can help the police curb violence, not just in Bukit Bintang but throughout the country.
The police did a wonderful job fighting the Communists after IndeÂpendence and they now have their hands full looking for Islamic State sympathisers within the country who are bent on creating trouble.
They have millions of illegals as well as local criminals to monitor in order to maintain the peace.
They do not need other problems created by people who display their intellectual deficiency by promoting violence.
Our leaders need to differentiate between NGOs or critics who are violent and those who are mere irritants.
The former have no place in our society but democracy deÂmands that we tolerate the latter.
Malaysia must remain peaceful and stable, and only a non-partisan and efficient police can keep this country in one piece.
The writer is a former de facto law minister and now a legal consultant. (*)
