All-round condemnation for KK Mart firebomb attack
KUCHING: Violence of any kind, including Sunday’s Molotov cocktail attack on a KK Mart outlet in Satok, has no place in Sarawak, says Satok assemblyman Dato Ibrahim Baki.
Describing the act as an ‘attempt of terrorism’, he said such an attack on a premises using incendiaries was unheard of in Sarawak.
“This has never been our culture. As citizens of Sarawak and of this nation, we abide by the rule of law. We must not take the law into our own hands.
“Seeing that there have been similar attacks in other parts of country, it is testing our unity and resolve as Malaysians, and now the community in Sarawak,” said Ibrahim in a statement yesterday.
He pointed out that Sarawak had time and time again been hailed as a model state in terms of the strong spirit of unity among members of its diverse community.
“To say that this is fragile is untrue. I think all of us are in the same boat in condemning this heinous act, and I reiterate that violence of any kind is intolerable and has no place in Sarawak,” he said.
Ibrahim also urged the police and the relevant authorities to take stern action and track down culprit, and called upon members of the public to remain calm and allow police to conduct their investigation.
“Do not speculate on the matter,” he reminded.
On Sunday, police received a report of an individual hurling a
Molotov cocktail at the Jalan Satok KK Mart outlet here, causing some boxes containing beverages placed on the five-foot way in front of the store to catch fire. The incident was the third Molotov cocktail attack on KK Mart stores in the country – the first occurred in Bidor, Perak, followed by another in Kuantan, Pahang.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said he was “quite shocked” to hear of the attack on the KK Mart outlet.
“I hope police would go all out to get the culprit and charge him in court. I do hope that this despicable act is an isolated one, as the issue about the socks with inscription bearing the word ‘Allah’ is happening in Malaya, and not in Sarawak.
“The authorities have already charged the parties involved – let the law take its course,” said the Asajaya assemblyman.
Abdul Karim also called for cool heads to prevail, saying the people must not get swayed by sentiments and emotions.
“There are people out there who just love to see our diverse communities going against each other. Nobody wins in the long run if the issue is prolonged,” the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president added.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak deputy chairman Senator Abun Sui said Sarawak has been heralded as a peaceful state and often mentioned as an exemplary state in terms of unity.
“This incident can be seen as slightly tarnishing the good name of Sarawak. Therefore, all Sarawakians are advised to cooperate with the authorities to track down the party responsible for the act,” he said in a statement.
While hoping that Sarawakians are not involved in this incident, Abun said he would leave it to the authorities to carry out their duty to solve this criminal act.
Also condemning the incident was DAP’s Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, who said the matter was “getting out of hand now”.
“I call for calm and tolerance in this whole situation. We as Sarawakians must stand up against such acts of hate and not let this be normalised in our land and our country,” he said in a statement.
The MP explained such grave concerns have highlighted how fragile the unity and harmony that exist in the country is, thus the continued wellbeing of the society must be protected.
“Out of all places, we did not expect this to happen in Kuching, Sarawak, which is supposedly known as the City of Unity, a place where for years we have learned to live harmoniously regardless of our race, religion or background.”
Meanwhile, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan said the Molotov attack was an ‘act of terrorism’ and called on the police to promptly investigate the case.
He suggested the police set up a special investigation team headed by senior and experienced officers to arrest the culprits, and not merely investigate the case under Section 435 of the Penal Code for mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage.