Johor polls: LGBTs used to provoke conservatives - group

 

JOHOR POLLS | Ahead of polling day for the Johor election tomorrow, rights group Justice For Sisters said LGBT people and issues have constantly been used as scapegoats to rile up the conservative segment of voters.

This follows the discovery of several rainbow flags, commonly associated with the LGBT community, hung in several locations with an identical message sprayed with black paint - "TQ Muda. Johor Bangkit".

When contacted, Justice for Sisters activist Thilaga Sulathireh said, "The photos look like an attempt to sabotage Muda and fuel conservative sentiments to detract voters from them."

Photographs of the flags hung at undisclosed locations, believed to be within the seven seats where Muda has fielded their candidates, were shared by a Facebook page "Ops Johor".

Malaysiakini also found one of the flags hung at an area in Taman Larkin Perdana, Larkin, where Muda's candidate Rasid Abu Bakar is facing a six-cornered fight against BN, Perikatan Nasional, PKR, Pejuang, and an independent.

Commenting further, Thilaga said "political LGBT-phobia" was found to be at its peak during the Pakatan Harapan administration.

"Conservative panic was fuelled by characterising Harapan as being 'too friendly' to LGBT people when in fact they continued the same policies by the administration before them.

"Anti-LGBT panic and sentiments were consistently fuelled to dampen any kind of progress or change for everybody," she told Malaysiakini.

"At the same time, this also reflects the intensity of LGBT-phobia in Malaysia.

"By sheer association with LGBTIQ people, a marginalised population, a person is at risk of losing opportunities, facing backlash, and others," she said.

Thilaga also cited findings from a recent study conducted by Justice for Sisters and several other LGBT rights groups that found 33 percent of 222 respondents reporting discrimination as a result of hate speech by politicians.

"We recommend the Election Commission and Suhakam to monitor discriminatory campaign tactics to ensure non-toxic election campaigns and meaningful participation of diverse groups of people in politics," she added.

"Last-resort provocation"

Meanwhile, Muda's candidate for Bukit Permai, Azrol Rani, described one of the flags found in his constituency as being a last-ditch "provocation" from the party's opponents.

"They are desperate, they are scared, and so they put up a flag that implies Muda's support for LGBT.

"To the other parties, do not worry. We are a tiny party, there is no need to do these kinds of provocations," he said on Instagram yesterday.

Johoreans go to the polls tomorrow. - Mkini