"Is racial tension on the rise? Yes". "Is religious bigotry getting worse? Yes". "Do we need a reminder to behave? Yes".

The above is a twitter monologue by Minister for Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

With the situation in the nation as such, the Kota Belud MP sees nothing wrong with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s remarks regarding the possibility of another May 13 taking place.

Stressing that it was a "reminder" and not a "threat", he asked: "So why is DAP upset?"

"DAP leaders went berserk over DPM's reminder of the dark day of May 13. Clearly these DAP leaders are oblivious to what is going on (on) the ground.

"Why DAP's hostile reaction to DPM's reminder? DPM statement was in BM for all to see and read.

"Why is DAP confused between reminder and threat?" he asked in his twitter postings.

The postings drew various responses, with some agreeing with the minister, claiming that DAP instigated racial tension, while others criticised Abdul Rahman.

One user by the handle "Ikan Bilis", said: "They (DAP) went berserk because they're scared people might remember that they were the instigators of that dark day."

Whereas "Jay Jay Denis" asked Abdul Rahman: "This 'on the ground' you alluded to, does it by any chance encompass Isma and Perkasa?”

"And this bigotry that you mention, is any party giving license for Isma and Perkasa to 'go about their business?'" he added.

Disagreeing with the minister, twitter user "gman" said: "Reminder to behave? You sound like Hitler in Auschwitz."

Meanwhile, "shamshir" agreed with the minister.

"DAP that harvests hatred and race superiority, will be the one that makes the loudest criticism, echoed by (their) hound dogs," he added.

"Didi Mazril”, on other hand, tweeted: "Siapa provoke siapa? (Who is provoking who?)"

"(DAP secretary-general) Lim Guan Eng provokes untuk tutup malu dan silap lampau DAP (to cover the shame and mistakes of DAP in the past)," he said.

Muhyiddin had raised the May 13 spectre, saying that religious tension is on the rise because certain quarters are questioning the position of Islam and the implementation of syariah law.

While DAP condemned this as a threat, MCA and Gerakan defended the deputy prime minister, stating that he was only reminding Malaysians not to take racial unity for granted.

'Spoke out of concern'

Meanwhile, Umno Cheras divisional chief Syed Ali Alhabshee said that Muhyiddin probably spoke out of concern as some parties had recently turned provocative.

 

"Tan Sri (Muhyiddin), he's concerned, he loves (the country).

 

"He doesn't want people to provoke each other and sparking the probability of another May 13. Nobody wants that. Malay, Chinese, Indians, all don't want that," the Umno grassroots leader said.

 

Syed Ali ( right ), who has been the Cheras Umno head for 16 years straight and was a two-term senator, lauded the BN model.

He said that even in Cheras, he has learned to defer to MCA and Gerakan's needs as the constituency had majority Chinese residents. 

 

"All parties have to take care of the harmony of the country," Syed Ali told Malaysiakini.

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