ILLUMINATING the night sky with the sounds of a joyous festive occasion or simply a harbinger of noise, pollution or inconveniences?
This is the conundrum facing Malaysians every festive season. Although fireworks are banned, the authorities seem to turn a blind eye when it comes to noisy and smoky fireworks displays which is no longer limited to the Chinese New Year (CNY) but also encompass both Hari Raya and Deepavali.
While it is understandable that Malaysians of all ethnic groups just want to have some festive fun, such is definitely not the case when the fireworks are akin to bombs being dropped in war zones that ultimately cause damage to vehicles and properties.
A short clip – purportedly shot in Klang – shows a massive fireworks blow-out causing all sorts of mayhem in the vicinity.
This ranged from damaged cars with broken windscreens and dented panels to business owners whose shops were left in a state of chaos from the aftermath of a massive firework’s “explosion”.
Shared by X user UpdateInfo (@update11111), the video had netizens up in arms.
Kemeriahan sambutan Deepavali di Klang .
Kredit owner 🎥 pic.twitter.com/rNQYsDJ2CK
— #UpdateInfo🇲🇾🌍 (@update11111) November 2, 2024
Many expressed disbelief that the video was shot in Klang.
The damage to public property was at the forefront of thinking of some netizens.
With some wondering aloud who was going to pay for the damages.
One netizen even went on to suggest Deepavali has overtaken CNY in terms of racket caused by fireworks with little regard for public safety or civic mindedness. Just what are the authorities doing about it, he reckoned?
While some said that Klang folk are a law unto themselves.
While another sought to refute it by saying it is unfair to tarnish all with the same brush.
A commenter pointedly asked if the spiralling cost of living issue under the Madani administration were valid, how could people then afford to buy fireworks.
One netizen summed up the feeling of many when he contended that fireworks did NOT contribute to the festive mood but only to the mess and chaos.
There were plenty of racist comments that FocusM will not repeat here. Suffice to say that when it comes to fireworks during festive periods, all are equally guilty.
Solution?
