We value racial harmony

Update: DPM, not PM. Sorry!

I was, frankly, a bit disturbed by the Deputy Prime Minister’s latest comments. “Don’t incite racial disharmony” he said, obviously in reference to the recent Bersih march in Kuala Lumpur.

Despite making the claim, none of the news reports in our mainstream media carried his (if any) explanations as to how exactly the march incited racial disharmony. There were general references to national unity, respect and tolerance being ‘easy to destroy’ but ‘difficult to rebuild’, but otherwise, the DPM offered no further explanation.

As I was unable to participate, and although the burden of proof lies squarely on the shoulders of our DPM, I trawled, again, the internet in a search for any discriminating evidence that would lend credence to the Deputy Prime Minister’s claim.

I’ve heard from eyewitnesses, read the blog reactions, followed the minute-to-minute updates, watched the videos, and have found nothing to that effect in that short duration of time between 3.00 to 4.00pm on Saturday 10 November. No racist chants, no racist speeches, nor were there any racist gestures.

Further, the diverse composition of the march’s participants places the DPM’s claim under even greater scrutiny. Yes, there were plenty of Malay opposition supporters; but that doesn’t negate the fact that other ethnic groups and non-political organisations were also present , and that the memorandum contained non-partisan, non-racial demands for change in our electoral system.

I find it difficult to believe that a call for free and fair elections can in anyway be detrimental to racial harmony.