Maintaining peace and stability
IN the midst of aftershocks from the incident at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Selangor, a week ago, it is heartening to see peaceful initiatives being taken by the rakyat – for example, the distribution of roses to marketgoers at USJ Taipan on Sunday morning, which was organised by the residents’ associations from USJ 2 to 15. What made this even more meaningful was that police and fire department personnel accepted the invitation to participate.
What is important is ensuring that what took place does not lead to further unrest and violence. Sadly, there are still certain parties in a position to influence society that are using various platforms to poke fire and arouse unwanted sentiments using race and religion. Why can’t they instead use their influence to advise people to stay calm and let the authorities resolve the matter?
Yes, information that does not always reflect the true situation has played a part in instilling fear among us. The fact is that there will always be irresponsible individuals who use social media platforms to spread fake news. We, individually, need to be discerning and ensure that we do not add fuel to the fire by forwarding such information.
We need to play our part, individually, to allay fears among family, friends, colleagues and the community by continuing to treat one another, irrespective of race, religion, gender, etc, with respect and dignity simply because we are fellow Malaysians.
I would like to believe that most Malaysians share the same view as myself, in that we want to live harmoniously and continue to work hand in hand in maintaining peace and stability in our beloved country.
Let us revive the spirit of “Malaysia Boleh” to reflect the true essence of what it is to be Malaysian.