Lim Kit Siang

Call for an emergency Parliament during Chinese New Year period to address the “kangkung” crisis faced by the Prime Minister and the country, including attempts to incite racial and religious hatred to create another May 13

I call for an emergency meeting of Parliament during the Chinese New Year period to address the “kangkung” crisis faced by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the country, including blatant attempts by irresponsible and reckless elements to escalate the incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to create the conditions for another May 13 racial riots in the country.

The throwing of two Molotov cocktails into the compound of the Church of the Assumption in Lebuh Farquhar, Penang, early this morning and the putting up of the provocative banner “Jesus is the son of Allah” without the knowledge of church authorities outside three churches in Penang yesterday by irresponsible and reckless elements out to escalate the incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension are the latest evidence of the existence of a treacherous conspiracy by a small group of traitors out to destabilize the country and cause a racial or religious conflagration.

The Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar could resort to the fairy tale that there was a conspiracy to topple the elected government on New Year’s Eve at Dataran Merdeka although there was no basis for such a wild allegation as there was only a peaceful gathering to protest price hikes.

Why is the IGP completely silent about the numerous attempts by reckless and irresponsible elements who are acting no different as traitors in the past few months out systematically to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to create another May 13 in the country?

Is the IGP sleeping on his job? It is time that the IGP wake up and carry out his duty to the nation and the people to protect them from traitors who are prepared to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to create another May 13 in the country.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said today that racial tensions are rising under a weak BN.

He is both right and wrong – right that the Barisan Nasional is weak and that is why the “kangkung” hullabaloo could resonate throughout the country and even become international news because of a rudderless, clueless and leaderless administration.

Wrong because a rudderless government is not caused by attempts by the Chinese to establish political and economic dominance over the Malays as repeatedly alleged by Mahathir.

In fact, if there is any single person who is responsible for the present state of affairs in Malaysia, it is Mahathir himself, who started even before the May 5 general elections last year to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tensions by for example alleging that I was contesting in Gelang Patah for the Chinese to confront the Malays and to destroy the power-sharing of Malays and Chinese in Malaysia – which were a sheer pack of lies.

The first step for Malaysia to restore normalcy is for irresponsible elements like Mahathir to stop their irresponsible inciting of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension through lies and falsehoods.

I call for an emergency Parliament during Chinese New Year period to address the “kangkung” crisis faced by the Prime Minister and the country, including attempts to incite racial and religious hatred to create another May 13.

In 2008, former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah dissolved Parliament to hold the 12th general elections during the Chinese New Year period. If Parliament could be dissolved during the Chinese New Year period for a general elections to be held, there can be reason why an emergency meeting of Parliament cannot be held during the Chinese New Year period when the so many national issues are so imperative, urgent and pressing.

[Media Conference Statement after a Chinese New Year visit to Tangkak together with Johore DAP State Assemblymen Ee Chin Lee (Tangkak), Tan Hong Pin (Mengkibol) and Lim Eng Guan (Bekok) in Tangkak on Sunday, 26th January 2014 at 3 pm]