MCA: Mob rule culture can drive investors away

Police were called in during the protest against Nga Kor Ming Tuesday.

PETALING JAYA: MCA has warned that street demonstrations and "mob rule culture" can drive investors away from Malaysia.

Referring to the protest in front of the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, MCA Religious Harmony Bureau secretary Chris Daniel Wong said the demonstration was uncalled for.

"It does not bode well as a testimony to our youth generation," he said in a statement Thursday.

Wong said such action would only encourage young people to "take to the streets to resolve matters with their own bare hands, which is wrong entirely".

"Since 2008 we have witnessed a series of wide-scale street protests in the name of economic equality, race and religion, and these do not seem to stop but are becoming a new norm of political mob culture in the country," he said.

Wong said street demonstrations have sent the wrong message to Malaysians and the international investor community.

He said that despite some protest being labelled peaceful, there could be clashes between two different groups of protesters.

"A comparison can be drawn with the current US presidential election campaign where supporters of candidates have attacked each other even though they come from the same party," said. Wong.

He called on Malaysians not to take matters into their own hands.

"Sometimes it leads to property damage and littered streets which incurs tens of thousands ringgit to repair and clean up," said Wong.

He also urged political parties to show maturity to resolve matters peacefully.

"Political parties have to be role models, especially to their youth wings," said Wong.

A group of protestors led by Federal Territories Umno Youth chief Razlan Rafii attempted to breach police barricades in front of the DAP headquaters on Tuesday.

Razlan accused DAP's Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming of uploading an allegedly insensitive Facebook posting during Hari Raya.

Nga has reiterated that he did not upload the posting on his Facebook account.