The 45th Penang Oktoberfest organised by the Malaysian German Society last night went on without a hitch, with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng declaring "Penang is no Taliban state".
Lim said some extremists may have succeeded in banning Oktoberfest in Selangor or Kuala Lumpur but they would never succeed in Penang.
"Penang is not keen in banning ‘this or that’ which interferes in Malaysians’ traditional freedom.
"We are no Taliban state," he added, during his speech in Penang last night.
"The fact that Oktoberfest continues, as it has been every year, will rebut the lies of those who claim that either Oktoberfest in Penang is banned or the name has changed.
"Nothing can be further from the truth," he said.
A similar event in Selangor was banned, with the police citing security risks, while opposition parties such as PAS and Bersatu Youth have petitioned the state government to keep the ban.
Lim said there were some "unfriendly noises" towards this traditional German Festival in some other states.
However, he is glad that in Penang, the German community, who came over a hundred years ago, does not have to face this "intimidation" and is able to freely continue to celebrate their festival with the locals.
"We are here to cherish the spirit of brotherhood and togetherness and I want to thank the Malaysian-German Society for organising this festival in Penang continuously for the last 45 years, the longest in our country’s history," Lim said.
"I want to congratulate the joint efforts between Germans and Malaysians working together as a team to continue this annual celebration without fear and to let everyone know there is no place for racial and religious extremism in Penang," he added.
The German Oktoberfest festival has been held for several years in Malaysia without attracting any controversy, Lim noted.
'Extremists seek to gain support of voters'
However, unfortunately "certain extremists" have seen an opportunity to gain support for the coming general election, among the conservative voters, by seeking to ban Oktoberfest, Lim said.
"These extremists do not care that only non-Muslims drink, not Muslims.
"Why ban Oktoberfest when Penang has been holding this for the last 45 years without incident?" Lim queried.
"If you want to ban, ban poverty, ban extremism, ban discrimination, ban racism, ban double standards and hypocrisy, ban ignorance and ban corruption," he said.
Lim said festivals such as Oktoberfest do not force anyone to drink.
He questioned why certain quarters should force Germans and Malaysians, especially non-Muslims not to drink.
Lim also thanked the police for maintaining safety and security in Penang during the event.
"Despite threats by extremists, we have shown that by standing together we can defeat these extremists who threaten us," Lim said.
"Let us stand for diversity, moderation and harmony in a multi-cultural society and mutual respect for the different faiths.
"The police have done their job by ensuring that these extremists do not disrupt our way of life," Lim added.
" Malaysia just celebrated our 60th independence anniversary, and only in Penang can you still enjoy the freedoms promised to us under the Merdeka Constitution 60 years ago."
Also present at the event were German ambassador Nikolas Graf Lambsdorff, Hans Peter Brenner, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, and other embassy representatives. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.