Sarawak politicians have expressed dismay over a firebomb attack at a KK Mart outlet in Kuching, saying it went against the social fabric of the state.
Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan said such political “illness” was an alien presence to East Malaysia.
“Previously, we never had any such ‘political illness’ in Sabah and Sarawak. People here love peace and we never had any racial and social problems like what we used to see and hear in West Malaysia.
“Our Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Hindu, Taoist, and Buddhist brothers and sisters could be seen mingling with each other in coffee shops and restaurants.
“Our people are friendly and the culture of rebelling, revolting, and unruly political shenanigans is not suitable for us here in Sarawak,” Voon told Malaysiakini.
‘Resolve problems through consultation’
A firebomb was hurled at a KK Mart outlet in Jalan Satok, Kuching on Sunday.
It was the third such attack in the country following previous incidents in Perak and Pahang.
The attacks are in response to Muslim outrage over socks bearing the word Allah being found at three KK Mart outlets, all in Selangor.
Like Voon, Kota Sentosa assemblyperson Wilfred Yap said it was unfortunate that vigilante violence had spread to Sarawak.
He pinned the blame on inflammatory statements made by Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh in response to the socks controversy.
“Two wrongs do not make a right,” Yap said.
“I hope that politicians regardless of their affiliation will focus on embracing and strengthening unity among our people for political stability which is crucial for the continuous progress and development of Malaysia.
“We should emulate the ways of the founding fathers of Malaysia where disputes, dissatisfaction, and problems are resolved through consultation, compromise, and consensus,” he added.
Akmal has condemned the attacks at the KK Mart outlets in Perak and Pahang, but has maintained boycott calls as a means to punish the convenience store chain.
Sarawak DAP leader Michael Kong said while the socks issue should have never occurred in the first place, it was important to note that KK Mart had apologised and taken remedial action.
“So while there is an outrage because of the issue, the matter should not be played out and be used to instil more divisiveness within the community.
“Instead, we should use this opportunity to put our heads together to brainstorm on what we can do to ensure this does not happen in the future,” he added. - Mkini
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