A petition launched by a group of academics urging peaceful dialogue in order to stifle rising racial tensions in the country has been gaining traction online, with more than 200 supporters in less than a week.

 

Called 'Advocate Peaceful Dialogue' (ADP), the petition says that developments in the country since the last general election are a "serious cause for concern".

 

"We are particularly concerned by the threat of violence by various irresponsible organisations and individuals in response to racial and religious issues," the petition said.

 

"This threat is all the more palpable because of the failure of Prime Minister Najib Razak and his ruling coalition government to stand up to elements in society that are bullying or intimidating other Malaysians and advocating a ‘might is right’ approach to resolving societal differences," it further says.

 

In a statement released today, APD said that the traction that the petition has gained is "indicative of the dangerous times" Malaysians are living in right now.

 

The main signatories for the petition are Lim Teck Ghee ( left ), the director for Center for Policy Initiatives, Gregore Pio Lopez from the Australian National University, Azmi Sharom from Universiti Malaya and Tessa Houghton from the Nottingham University Malaysia campus.

 

The Facebook page has generated over 400 likes while the petition, at the time of writing, has 211 supporters.