“I would like to apologise, without any reservation, to all parties, especially to the police force and media for the huge mistake for this false accusation by this young man.”

- Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng

COMMENT | Hawker Lim Thiam Fook’s retraction of his allegation against the police and the subsequent show of a presser is the kind of flashpoint in this country that is made use of by the Malay uber alles crowd to further racial narratives that sustain a corrupt political and religious class.

Of course, if this had not have been framed by certain parties (as the hawker did) as an extortion attempt rather than a bribery case, things would have been easier to spin if the protagonist decided not to play ball anymore.

When it is framed as an extortion attempt, folks retreat into their corners without being suspicious of either party. Keep in mind that this 21-year-old man allegedly paid a bribe and the narrative he put forward was that he was “extorted”.

This took on added emotional baggage because we are in the midst of a pandemic. Do not think that “race” will not become part of the narrative. On social media, it already...