By K Pragalath and Joseph Tawie. Published by Free Malaysia Today on 12 September 2012.
The vilification of East Malaysians seems to be taking a turn for the worse with the latest foul rantings on Facebook site ‘Semenanjung Anti-Sarawak’. The page which started two years had its first posting on May 21, barely a month after the massive Bersih 3.0 gathering calling for free and fair elections in Kuala Lumpur which saw some 300 Sarawakians taking part. However the Facebook page was removed earlier today.
All posting which were in Malay, spewed derogatory remarks about Sarawakians in general and those who lived in the peninsula. Among the milder language postings, was one on July 6, which said: “Sarawak is a scoundrel state that embarrasses Malaysia,… %^& Sarawak Idiot” and another that read “Sarawak goons, when are you getting out of Malaysia? Am sick of seeing Sarawakian idiots in the Peninsular”.
It also cast aspersions against Christianity. Sarawak has a vastly Christian population. The postings have shocked Sarawakians who’ve bombarded the page with thousands of angry comments. Many readers have criticised the writer for putting up such postings.
Meanwhile Sarawak police commissioner Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani when cornered at a function yesterday expressed puzzle over the postings. He said no reports have reached him thus far and believed that the Facebook posting were the work of irresponsible parties aiming to stoke trouble. Acryl said he would be directing the CID and Commercial Crime Department to look into the matter. “We’ll launch an investigation if the content on those pages were found to have broken laws under the Communications and Multimedia Act,” he said.
Police reports lodged
Meanwhile in another development, two component parties of Pakatan Rakyat – PKR and DAP – today lodged separate police reports against the anti-Sarawak postings. State PKR Youth wing vice president Simon Siah and Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei lodged the report at the Simpang Tiga police station for their respective parties. Also present were state DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen, Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How.
In lodging the report, Siah urged the police to look into the ‘anti-Sarawak’ postings in the Facebook which has been in existence for quite a while. “All the comments made by these people are very degrading towards Sarawakians especially our Dayak friends, talking about Dayaks very dirty and smelly, uncouth, and so on. “We know this is not true. But if the police are not going to do anything about this, the police are actually encouraging these people to belittle the Dayaks.
“This is downright and plain racist, and totally unacceptable as it will create tensions between Sarawakians and Peninsular Malaysians. “It will create problems in the efforts to integrate Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia,” Siah said in reference to postings on the Semenanjung Anti-Sarawak Facebook site. Siah also urged more people to come forward, including BN component parties, and lodge police reports against the site because “such postings affect everyone of us and is a criminal issue.”
Attack on Sabah culture
Less than 24 hours ago, a blog called Suara Pakatan Rakyat, demeaned Sabah’s Kadazan Dusun community’s traditional Sumazau dance. The blog, which claimed itself to be pro Pakatan, described sumazau as fit only for those with “low morals”.
The sumazu dance was thrust into the spotlight when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, attempted the dance during the the first day of Aidilfitri celebration on Aug 19. In condemning Najib, the post said the dance was a “stupid looking dance, mimicking the flapping of birds’ wings” and that “we in the Peninsular are far more modern and civilised, no need to mimick birds.”
In an immediate response PKR strategy director, Rafizi Ramli denied that Suara Pakatan Rakyat had anything to do with Pakatan. “That is an Umno blog attempting to show that Pakatan is at odds with Sabah people. It even confuses our supporters,” said Rafizi.
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