Racially-charged rally proof Malaysia needs healing, says DAP

Red shirt protesters in Kuala Lumpur hold a placard accusing Lim Kit Siang of inciting racial violence. But the veteran DAP leader today said the rally was proof that nation-building had gone bad after over 50 years of Malaysia's formation. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, September 17, 2015.

Malaysians should not fall into the trap of the "unseen hands" who organised yesterday's 'red shirt' rally by reacting along racial lines, said Lim Kit Siang, adding that the gathering proved that after five decades, the country was stricken with a serious sickness.

The DAP parliamentary leader said despite the racial slurs, insults and provocations uttered at the rally, the people must respond to it as Malaysians and not as Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or Ibans.

"Malaysians must conduct a national soul-searching as to what has gone wrong with over five decades of nation-building that there was a 'red shirt' Malay rally replete with racial slurs and provocations on Malaysia Day itself and with government approval," Lim said in a statement.

The Gelang Patah MP added that he believed that the majority of right-thinking Malays, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, were equally horrified at the racially-charged rally organised on Malaysia Day.

He said the primary question was not why tens of thousands of Malays in various parts of the country could be bused to the city for a rally purportedly to protect Malay dignity and rights.

He said the real question was what went wrong with over half a century of nation-building that such reckless and irresponsible race-baiting could still be used, when those threatening ordinary Malays were the "Umno-putras".

Saying Malaysia's future was not all bleak, Lim (pic, right) added that lessons must be taken from the rally, chief of which was the need to end race-based political parties.

He urged Umno, MCA and MIC to open their doors to all Malaysians to continue forward with nation-building, and said people must be proud of being Malaysians first above their own heritage.

"If there are political leaders who are not prepared to accept such a Malaysian message transcending race, then we must go over the heads of the political leaderships concerned to reach their ordinary membership who are more rational and Malaysian-minded than their leaders," he added.