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Protest at festival shatters 'open house' engagement!

COMMENT In Malaysia as well as elsewhere, protests are often held to convince or to get the support of members of the public for a larger cause.

However, protests are seldom held during cultural or religious festivals.

This is an unwritten "golden rule" that has been adhered to by those who intend to protest, whether members of the ruling party or the opposition, as well as by members of the NGOs.

However, such a "golden rule" that has been held "sacrosanct" all this while was shattered for the first time in Malaysian political history when a group of protesters staged a 30-minute demonstration on Monday, at the Penang Chief Minister's Chinese New Year open house at the Penang International Sports Arena (Pisa) in Relau.

Thousands who turned up to mark the occasion were turned off and felt disgusted against the protesters, who lacked the minimal respect and understanding of the Chinese cultural festival!

'Open house' predates independence

Just imagine if DAP or any other opposition party had organised a similar protest during Malay or Indian cultural or religious festivals.

Umno and its racial affiliates would have gone "berserk" on the matter.

Sad to say, that the tiny group that held the protest simply lacked the decency and respect for the Chinese cultural event, an event that is participated by all ethnic groups in the country.

"Open house" during major festivals is an important cultural and social aspect of Malaysia that predates political independence. This is something that Malaysians are proud of and something that is uniquely Malaysian.

Public participation in an "open house" provides an important avenue for Malaysians, irrespective of race or religion, to renew friendship and ties during cultural or religious festivals.

However, recent events suggest that even open houses are not spared the venom of racial and religious bigots in the country.

It is understandable why those who attended the open house at Pisa were angry and infuriated by the actions of few misguided individuals and why the police would even tolerate such an incident to take place.

Strangely, the police, not known for their proactive role, simply stood by to watch the protesters shouting and making fun of the chief minister!

Hopefully, the chief police officer (CPO) of Penang would be able to explain why the police even allowed the protest to take place just before the governor of Penang arrived at the event.

Police chief needs to explain

The CPO should also explain why the protesters were not dispersed as soon they began the protests.

About 30 members of the Penang Facebook Association held the protest to demand an explanation from Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ( photo ) that DAP allegedly received RM1.2 billion from an Israeli leader in Singapore in 2013.

The fund was supposed to assist DAP in the 2013 general election and in return, Israel was promised a naval base in Port Dickson.

Muhammed Razali Abd Rahman, who apparently claimed that he was the former special officer of Lim, circulated this rumour in the social media.

Lim has denied that he met an Israeli leader in Singapore or he received funds from the country before the 2013 general election.

Lim thinks that the allegation and the related protest on Monday morning are part of the systematic campaign launched by certain federal leaders in power to caste aspersions on the Penang state government.

Since DAP has been very critical of the entry of RM2.6 billion into the private bank accounts of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and the scandals surrounding the 1MDB, there is a feeling that the protest on Monday was an attempt to divert public attention from the ills plaguing Umno.

Those who attended the open house on Monday feared the protest could be a forerunner of the worst things to befall the country.

If cultural and religious festivals provide an important avenue for racial and religious integration, why spoil them by protesting on an issue that has no factual basis at all?

In the final analysis, it is not the protest per se but how Umno and BN have taken the country socially, culturally and politically to a point of no return.


P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the state assemblyperson for Perai.

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