Monday, October 12, 2015

Malaysia race tension a move to detract from PM’s troubles?

On Sept. 30, a force of 19 Malaysian immigration officers – all ethnic Malays – raided a Malacca karaoke parlor to arrest women illegally in the country who were working as prostitutes. That instigated a melee when as many as 40 Chinese characterized as thugs and gangsters attacked the immigration officers, injuring three of them.

That in turn threatened to trigger yet another of Malaysia’s frequent racial brouhahas, with ethnic Malay marchers promising to descend on Malacca to avenge Malay dignity, until angry authorities put a stop to it. But there is deepening fear among opposition leaders and others that one of these incidents – with apparent backing from the United Malays National Organization – will spiral out of control, triggering harsher laws and arrests of opposition figures.

The theory is that the events are designed to take the heat off UMNO and Najib and divert attention from investigations into the affairs of the debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Bhd. state-backed investment fund, as well as the transmittal of US$681 million into his personal bank account in 2013 from unknown sources.

The man who threatened to lead the Malacca marchers is a close supporter of Prime Minister Najib Razak, Mohd Ali Baharom, the president of the Armed Forces Veterans Association. Baharom was denounced by Malacca police, Malacca’s chief minister, Idris Haroun, and immigration officials who say that he and his followers were seeking to foment an incident that would upset the state’s racial harmony. Full story...

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