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Malaysia Opposition Raps Mahathir Over Racial Clashes
by Kazi Mahmood
KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (IslamOnline) - The opposition in Malaysia on Monday made a pressing call to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad not to incite and exacerbate racial tensions in riot hit settlements in Kuala Lumpur.
Saying his statements on the riots were of communal nature, opposition members feared the statements could spark a further escalation of violence in an already shaky situation.
As of Monday, the racial clashes in the Petaling Selatan squatter areas and vicinity last Thursday have resulted in the deaths of at least six persons, and the arrest of 177.
Syed Husin Ali, leader of the Party Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), said that several statements recently made by Mahathir have been "most irresponsible".
"These kind of statements are not the kind of statements that one expects from a national leader," said Syed Husin at a press conference attended by National Justice Party leaders Wan Azizah Ismail and Chandra Muzaffar, Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) secretary-general Nasaruddin Md Isa and Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary general Kerk Kim Hock.
The leaders said that the prime minister's comments on television news broadcasts could have influenced residents in the affected areas to initiate clashes.
Mahathir ensured the population that the fighting was not planned and/or premeditated but was sparked upon rumors that a group of Indians in the suburb was attacking Malays, prompting Malays to respond as the situation turned into a full-scale pitch battle between rival Indian and Malay gangs.
An observer in Kuala Lumpur said the opposition was wrong in criticizing the prime minister for his statements, adding that Mahathir wanted to downplay the situation and ensure that peace reigns in the settlements.
However, Syed Husin said it appeared that certain quarters were not revealing the "true picture of the incident".
"We get the impression that there are efforts by some quarters to downplay the incidents. It is possible that trivial incidents sparked the clashes but the problem now has become too big to be downplayed any longer," he said.
He added the authorities should not conceal the number of persons killed, saying that "reliable sources" had informed him that the actual number of fatalities could be higher than the official figure of six announced by the police.
Syed Husin added that there were also initial complaints of police not acting in a completely professional manner, thus failing to bring the situation under control.
"There were allegations from some quarters that the police were not firm enough and on occasions, were one-sided in their approach," he said.
Opposition parties argued that the fighting was the result of poor government planning in the highly populated suburbs. The areas hit by the riots are majority Malay with a minority of Indians residing in the surrounding area.
"This is a result of poor policy planning and uneven national development undertaken by the government. This problem must be resolved in order to have a good foundation for the building of a strong and durable national unity," Wan Azizah said.
Ethnic clashes between Malays and Indians diffused in 1998 in the state of Penang after both groups clashed over two specific sites erected for prayers. Then deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, visited the area at the height of the fighting and helped diffuse the situation, an NJP leader said Monday.
Selangor police chief Nik Ismail Nik Yusuf reported that police received 11 calls reporting fights in the area on Sunday but all turned out to be hoaxes.
He said police on Monday detained 23 more suspects, bringing the total number of those arrested to 177. Police also seized 34 more weapons Sunday evening, including knives, machetes, folding knives, iron pipes, Molotov cocktails and a tub of petrol.
Those detained were being questioned for offences under the Penal Code including murder and rioting, he added.
Nik Ismail assured the residents that police had the situation under control and residents were free to move about in the area.
Hundreds of riot police and regular officers were patrolling districts around Jalan Klang Lama in Petaling Jaya, southwest of Kuala Lumpur, with police said the situation was calm and under control, adding that there was no need to impose a curfew in the area.
But the Associated Press reported that fights between ethnic Malays and ethnic Indians broke out early Sunday in at least two new areas on the outskirts of the city. Ethnic Indians account for eight percent of Malaysia's 22 million people, while Malays form about 55%.
The clashes reportedly had their origins in a row last weekend between an Indian funeral procession and Malays celebrating a wedding.
According to stories circulating in the area, a drunken Indian man kicked over a chair at the Malay party, triggering fighting which quickly spread.
Other versions said that neighborhood battles between Malay and Indian residents broke out Thursday after teenagers playing with catapults broke a car windscreen.
The quarrel between the teens and the car owner grew worse after another group allegedly spread rumors of a gang fight between Malays and Indians.
Five of those killed and 34 of the injured were ethnic Indians. Of those arrested, 88 were ethnic Malays and 56 were ethnic Indians.
Riots in 1969 between the dominant Malay Muslims and ethnic Chinese, the largest minority, left at least 200 dead.
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