The Coalition of Malaysian (Comango) NGOs lauded the government’s grassroots-level programmes like the ‘Rukun Tetangga’ (neighbourhood association) where people come together for durian-eating fiestas, but slammed certain ministers for further inciting racial disharmony by building a race-based digital mall in response to Low Yat Plaza brawl last year.

Human rights NGO Komas director Jerald Joseph was commenting on the state of national unity and social cohesion at the mid-cycle assessment of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Malaysia today, at the North South Initiative centre in Petaling Jaya.