LETTER | We unreservedly commend our Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing for his courage and conviction to voice out against the overarching intervention of politicians on “extremist culture” in our country.

Their callous actions will cause a further fracture to the mutual respect practised by all communities living harmoniously in our multi-racial and multi-cultural society.

Such actions would also further divide the nation in this era of rebuilding a united and progressive society.

There has always been mutual respect amongst all our rakyat of different communities and it is this very diverse yet harmonious culture which has made Malaysia distinctive and uniquely attractive to tourists.

Hence, we urge all ministers to similarly speak up and right any wrongs on any relevant matters immediately so as to halt any further misunderstandings and unnecessary simmering of hurt and extremism.

This statement is jointly endorsed by:

· Bumiputra Retailers Organisation (BRO)

· Industries Unite (IU)

· Building Management Association of Malaysia (BMAM)

· Federation of Malaysia Business Associations (FMBA)

· Malaysian Association of Theme Parks and Family Attractions (MATFA)

· Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA)

· Malaysia Retail Chains Association (MRCA)

· Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPK)

· Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro (PPRB)

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.