KUCHING: Sarawakians are urged to stay away from the Red Shirt rally scheduled to be held on Wednesday as it will only mar the sanctity of Malaysia Day celebrated on that day.
Assistant Minister of Youth Development (Urban Areas) Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said there was no need for them to join the rally in Kuala Lumpur or even organise it here even though it might proceed as planned by the organisers.
“This is what happens when some leaders choose a certain name or colour to organise rally in the pretext of democracy in a plural society such as Malaysia.
If Bersih 4.0 were able to go out and demonstrate, there will be others too who want to do the same.
“But in my opinion, Sarawakians don’t need to come out and demonstrate by using red shirts on Sept 16.
“If the people in Malaya want to do it, just let them do it, but not in Sarawak where we already live in peace and harmony,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Abdul Karim, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member, said the Bersih 4.0 in Kuching on Aug 29 proved to be a failure after it ended abruptly amid conflict among the opposition.
On Saturday, Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing appealed to Umno to take the lead in persuading the organisers to call off the Red Shirt rally and stop them from fanning racial hatred in the country.
The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president was also upset that the organisers want to hold the rally on Sept 16 – the date when Malaysia was formed.
He also urged the authorities to go after the hidden hands behind racially-charged posters linked to the rally.