I FORGIVE former ministers Tan Sri Annuar Musa and Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin and former Penang exco member Dr Afif Bahardin for their misperceptions over my recent take of the May 13 incident.
This is given that their statements casting aspersions on me were made before they read my clarification that I wanted all political parties and candidates for the six state polls on Aug 12 to lower the temperature on racial and religious polarisation and to stop exploiting the 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues to prevent another May 13 riots.
I invite them to join me in ensuring that all political parties and candidates in the upoming six state polls in Penang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu do their utmost to lower the temperature on racial and religious polarisation and to stop exploiting the 3R issues.
I made a statement two days ago that “after 54 years, Malaysia is teetering on the edge of another May 13 riots” and clarified yesterday that I made the statement to ensure that there is no repeat of the May 13 riots in Malaysia.
As I explained yesterday, nobody expected the May 13 riots to take place in 1969 and we must learn the lesson not to allow another May 13 riots to take place again.
We have all political differences but they must be resolved peacefully and democratically within the context of the original nation-building principles for a plural Malaysia which the nation’s founding fathers have written into the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara – constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, the rule of law and an independent judiciary.
I made the statement without consulting any DAP leader because I believe all Malaysians regardless of party, race, religion or region – including Annuar Musa, Zuraida Kamaruddin and Afif Bahardin – do not want another May 13 riots in Malaysia.
We must be Malaysians first, and our ethnic, religious, regional, political or other identities, second. – July 21, 2023
Veteran lawmaker and retired DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang was Malaysia’s longest serving opposition leader (29 years on three separate occasions).
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
