Malaysia racial tensions amid rumors of Malay-Chinese clashes
Racial tensions appear to be on the rise in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur as the nation’s opposition leaders have allied themselves with Chinese businessmen in preparing for potential clashes with the ethnic pro-government Malay group.
Malaysian police forces tightened security measures on Saturday in a district of central Kuala Lumpur in the face of continuing rumors that Malay backers of the nation’s embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak were bent on waging a rally through the area in a bid to protest alleged abuses by Chinese merchants, the DPA reported.
According to the report, Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, has called on people to take a stand against a bid by “some political sectors to disrupt social harmony.”
"The racism we have been seeing belongs to the Stone Age," Anwar said as quoted in the report.
The development comes after tens of thousands of pro-government ethnic Malays converged in the central part of the capital two weeks ago wearing red shirts in an effort to demonstrate support for the troubled prime minister, who remains under growing pressure to step down over persisting corruption charges.
This is while a group of pro-Razak protesters tried to force their way into Kuala Lumpur’s predominantly Chinese business districts, but were interrupted by security forces, the report said.
Those taking part in the protest effort accused the ethnic Chinese of offending Malay leaders, including the prime minister.
According to the latest government statistics, 67.4 percent of the Malaysian population of nearly 30 million consists of Malays and other native communities, with the Chinese forming the largest minority in the country with 24.6 percent of the population, followed by 7.3 percent Indians and 0.7 percent from national origins.
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