In the spotlight: Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur is one of the places where the Sept 16 rally is set to be held.
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA raised its concerns during the last two Cabinet meetings over the far-reaching negative impact of the Sept 16 red-shirt rally on the country, said party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said Malaysians, especially the Chinese community, were worried over the rally that might be filled with racial overtones.
“I received a lot of calls from the people on the rally and its implications. Many of us (Cabinet members) are very concerned over it,” he said when asked to comment on the rally.
Liow, who is also Transport Minister, reiterated MCA’s top priority to preserve and promote harmony, stability and unity.
“The rally must not be allowed to proceed,” he added.
In Malacca, party deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said MCA was an “agent” for racial unity and would not condone any effort to disrupt the harmony enjoyed by Malaysians.
The top two MCA leaders said the rally must not be allowed to go ahead, and Dr Wee, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said any gathering with the intention to create racial tension should be discouraged.
“We respect the right of anyone to attend an assembly, provided that it is a lawful one and not one that promotes any form of racism.
“You cannot hold a tit-for-tat gathering with the intention of creating racial tension,” he said after opening the Secretariat for the Advancement of Malaysian Entrepreneurs (SAME) Financial Roadshow here yesterday.
Dr Wee pointed out that it would only take one or two individuals to spark an incident.
“I am worried about racial harmony if a handful of people deliberately ignite racially-charged sentiments during the rally – just like the recent football game,” he said.
The Malaysia-Saudi Arabia World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday was disrupted by flares and fireworks thrown by fans of the national football team.
The red shirt rally has been touted as an anti-Bersih 4 rally.
MCA, said Dr Wee, had always upheld unity among Malaysians and would continue to campaign for a stronger bond among all ethnic groups in the country.
“All this while, the party has propagated peace among all races and I appeal to the organisers to call off the rally,” he added.
