By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, March 18: How many have been put away for racial and religious hate speech despite being warned multiple times?
This is the question raised by Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng when asked by netizens over his view on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s stern warning against those inciting such sentiments.
“The government has been saying it will not tolerate those spreading hate speech. How many were arrested for doing so?
“And how many among our ministers would apologise for the wrong things they’ve said? How many, or has there been any?” Wee questioned during the 155th ShallWeeTalk live streaming session on social media today.
To him, dividing people into different categories, such as ‘Bumiputera’ and ‘non-Bumiputera’, is already wrong.
“There should not be any distinction or categories among people. Take away Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera because we have been here for two or three generations. There is no more distinction between Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera.
“The New Economic Policy has been around for decades, there should be some evaluations on it,” said Wee.
Disappointedly he said “fair to all races” only exists in propaganda and advertisements.
“If we are talking about a Malaysian family, then the word ‘fairness’ is the key.
“As a citizen of any country, fair treatment to all races is key to a harmonious and peaceful society and a prerequisite to stable politics within the country,” he said, adding that if all are treated fairly, race will not be an issue as everyone will have a sense of belonging.
To him, playing up racial issues is an “out-of-date” political tactic which some politicians still use to gain political mileage and garner support.
“After Covid-19, I hope attention will be given to help make lives better for the people and not creating non-existing issues,” said Wee. — DayakDaily
