KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians should avoid issuing statements that could provoke or hurt the sensitivity of other races and religions, said Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
The Deputy Prime Minister said similarly, the public should also not react provocatively to racist or insensitive statements issued by individuals or any political leaders, and to fact check statements and articles read online.
Speaking at a Ramadan donation event today, she said Islam, like any other religion, teaches its people to do good for all individuals, and that the existence of ethnic diversity in the country was not meant to trigger conflict, but instead to get to know and learn from others.
Wan Azizah’s statement came just hours after a rally to ‘Defend the Sovereignty of Islam’ was held at the city centre here.
“There was a rally to defend Islam earlier today, but that’s okay. We must not react provocatively, be it by words of mouth, or even through social media,” she said in her speech during a ceremony to hand over Ramadan donations to mosques and suraus located in the Pandan constituency.
The rally, organised by pro-Islam Gerakan Pembela Ummah (Ummah), saw several Umno and PAS leaders taking the stage, with Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki warning that the rakyat could not accept the belittling of the royal institutions.
He also took a dig at Attorney-General Tommy Thomas for keeping mum at a forum he attended recently, after a participant supposedly insulted a particular Malay ruler by claiming he was a robber.
The rally, which was initially scheduled to end at 5pm, however ended prematurely at around 3.30pm following a heavy downpour. About 2,000 people attended the gathering.
In her speech, Wan Azizah said the success and development of a country was usually defined by the unity of its people, adding that conflict among races is what usually causes the downfall of a nation.
“As such, various programmes and activities that touch on national unity have to be conducted to ensure that our dream of becoming a developed nation is realised,” she said.
Meanwhile, Wan Azizah said the Social Welfare Department (JKM) had yesterday visited celebrity entrepreneur Datuk Seri Aliff Syukri and his family following the incident in which he caned his 9-year-old daughter Qadejah El Zahra for taking off her scarf.
However, she said the department found no physical or psychological effect on Qadejah, but said Aliff has been asked to refer her daughter to hospital for further checkup.
“JKM will conduct another house visit soon,” she said, adding that while Aliff’s action to upload the story behind the caning on social media might be a publicity stunt, it was uncalled for.
Aliff courted heavy criticism from the public after he uploaded a video on his Instagram account where he applied medication on Qadejah after caning her, after which the NGO Protect and Save the Children lodged a police report.
