COMMENT As the dust has begun to settle down, it’s time for some sanity to take over.

Firstly, let me speak as a Chinese Malaysian. For a number of years, I have avoided going to Low Yat IT Mall to hunt for any IT gadget.

The reason is not because they are selling fake phones or computers. In fact, on this count, I would say that most of the traders are, in fact, outright in telling you that they cannot sell any pirated goods in the mall. This is the mall’s policy.

However, I am disappointed mostly with some of the traders or repairmen who take advantage of our ignorance. Some of them, I suspect, are downright dishonest.

When I last sent in an old iPhone for repair, I was told that the WiFi component was also malfunctioning. Because it cost too much to replace it, I decided to take it to another shop elsewhere to get a second opinion.

This time, I asked the repairman to open the casing in front of me. To my shock, we found the WiFi component missing. The only explanation is that someone at the first repair shop at Low Yat had removed the WiFi component from my phone before returning it and telling me that it is not working.

Such practices are rampant with dishonest repairmen. Because the individual parts have commercial value, they are being cannibalised by unscrupulous repairmen.

On another occasion, I encountered the same problem with another repairman at IT Mall in MidValley, where another important component was also removed from my gadget.

I am sure this is not only happening in the IT circle. Mechanics are also known for such practices because there are no regulators and most people are ignorant. It involves all three major races on separate occasions!

Therefore, the Low Yat incident has nothing to do with race the way how certain individuals were playing it up. Seeing it from the bigger picture, Umno has to stop playing the race and religious cards, or a repeat of this will further erode the people’s trust and confidence in its leaders.

It is time that IT traders in all IT malls start to exercise self-regulatory measures to stop one or two culprits from damaging their reputation. It is also time for parents to start hauling up their young people for a heart-to-heart talk instead of allowing themselves to be exploited by some politicians. One particular teacher is said to be heartbroken to see one of his ex-students involved in the street fight.

Whatever the situation, the long arm of the law will finally catch up with the culprits. Let justice take its course instead of taking the law into your own hands.

All eyes still on 1MDB

Despite the occasional Low Yat debacle, most people are still paying a lot of attention to the 1MDB fiasco and the amount of US$700 million (or RM2.6 billion) being deposited into private accounts belonging to one ‘Dato’ Sri Najib bin Abdul Razak’.

By comparison, RM2 million cash that was deposited into one ‘Rosmah binti Mansor’ (Datin Sri)’s account in Affin Bank is nothing but a drop in the ocean.

Investigations appear to go in the direction that we have all expected, but Malaysians should not allow this scandal to be another episode in the past.

If it can happen to the prime minister, involving a sum nearly equivalent to the entire reserve of the Selangor state government (i.e. RM2,600,000,000), it can also happen with Mara and other agencies. This is 2.6 million times the salary of someone earning RM1,000 a month.

Corruption has to be immediately dealt with immediately or it will become like gangrene that will continue to spread to other parts of the body.

To date, sadly, based on all the statements released by the attorney-general and the task force, everything seems to point to one conclusion - that Najib Abdul Razak was not to be faulted.

We should not forget that the task force is under the sitting prime minister, who is under investigation. The question is who set the scope of the investigation, and why was the task force not properly set up by a parliamentary select committee? Or why is Najib hesitant to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) involving some prominent Malaysians?

Najib had even said that the money was not for his personal use. If not, then where did the money go? Would this implicate more people? Come another general election next month, would we continue to vote for a coalition that has benefited from the huge amount of money? RM2.6 billion for the last general election? Then, what about the coming general election?

Umno leaders recently claimed that Umno is still strong despite not getting the support of other non-Malay communities. As a matter of fact, how did Umno become what it is today if not for its leaders? Why, for example, during the late Tunku Abdul Rahman’s time, even the Chinese gravitated towards Bapa Malaysia and Umno was favoured by the Chinese compared to PAS?

Perhaps, it is time for even more of our Malay brothers and sisters to speak up against the insensible things that Umno leaders do in the name of religion and race. One word from them is worth a thousand words from me, a humble ordinary citizen from the streets.

I am recently humbled by one woman, Noor Farida Ariffin who represents the G25 eminent Malays. She spoke up against the brawlers during the Low Yat incident, condemning their actions. In response, as a Chinese Malaysian, I wish to apologise to my Malay friends on behalf of the Chinese youth who shouted out hurtful words against the seven troublemakers. Maaf zahir batin and I wish you Selamat Hari Raya!

Credit to whom credit is due

Finally, I would like to say this. The police’s actions during the Low Yat debacle were questionable. When you have over 200 incensed brawlers in front of Low Yat, the first thing you should do is to bring the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) on stand-by.

I have seen the FRU in most major events organised by component parties of the former Pakatan Rakyat coalition or Bersih 2.0 and tear gas was thrown even at innocent people. However, in this incident, the FRU’s presence was hardly there. Why?

In a video clip that went viral, the policemen who were at the scene where the youths smashed a vehicle were merely watching the act of hooliganism. They should be hauled up for further investigation and questions should be asked whether these men had been adequately trained, or had they forgotten the standard operating procedure (SOP) in handling a public nuisance?

They should know how to deal with the situation, even though there were only two or three of them. A warning shot should have been fired to stop the hooligans.

One of the hooligans even jumped on the roof of the vehicle, which reminds me of similar incidents recorded during Bersih 2.0 and 3.0 rallies.

If the FRU could not be called in, reinforcement should have come from the nearest police station which is just a short distance away from Low Yat. All these questions raised will hopefully prepare our police force for any eventuality regardless of race, religion or political affiliations. Street violence cannot be tolerated. Everyone involved in it should be taken in.

Having said that, I agree with another friend of mine that credit should be given this time to the inspector-general of police, Khalid Abu Bakar, for putting his foot down.

At least, for once, justice is seen being done as this is clearly a theft story, not a racial riot and the parties involved in spinning the story have been arrested. Soon, we hope to see even Papagamo facing the court of justice, as the proverbial saying goes, “Pandai pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh juga” (no matter how adroitly the squirrel climbs the tree, in the end, it falls, too).

To clean up its own image, the first thing that Umno should do is to remove the bad apples from the basket of fruits.

 

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.