MCA Youth condemns violence near UM, students urged to lodge police reports

PETALING JAYA: MCA Youth has expressed its concerns about the fracas that occurred near Universiti Malaya on Friday (March 22).

It also hoped that the university students who were attacked would immediately lodge police reports.

MCA Youth spokesman Ryan Ho (pic) said  its legal bureau will also render legal aid to any of the affected students who need it.

“We will always defend the spirit and the rule of law, where anyone is responsible must be held accountable,” said Ho in a statement on Friday (March 22).

Ho said Malaysia is ruled by laws and MCA Youth denounces anyone who resorts to violent methods when engaging with rally goers.

“Anyone who has grievances with the rally goers should seek legal redress from the relevant law enforcement agencies.

“Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country. We hope that the masses can understand that a peaceful and stable society is not simple to achieve,” said Ho.

He also advised Malaysians, especially politicians and social media users, to not provoke sensitivities between the various ethnic groups.

Earlier, students holding a demonstration against Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak were allegedly manhandled by the former premier's supporters on Friday.

The students were demonstrating across the street of a restaurant near Universiti Malaya where Najib was speaking.

A video of the scuffle that is being shared on social media showed Najib's supporters, including Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam, accosting the students who were behind a railing.

The students were holding placards that read “Najib tak malu (Najib is shameless)” and “Mana RM2.6bil? (Where is the RM2.6bil?)”, as well as a big cut-out of a caricature of the former premier as a clown.

The confrontation quickly turned aggressive as the supporters snatched the placards away from the students.

 Najib’s supporters then held one of the students in a reverse chokehold and grabbed his hair and hit him.

Several men were seen calling “sabar (patience)” and separated the two groups before the students retreated.

According to Malaysiakini, the manhandled student has been identified as Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) president Wong Yan Ke.

It reported that the police took the students in their vehicles to the Pantai Dalam police station.