KUCHING: Sarawakians must stand up against hate and violence, say lawmakers from the state following the latest firebombing of a KK Super Mart outlet here.
Such an incident was not expected in Kuching, which is known as the City of Unity where people live harmoniously regardless of race, religion or background, said Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
“This shows how the unity and harmony we treasure is so fragile and must be protected.
“We as Sarawakians must stand up against such acts of hate and not let this be normalised in our country,” he said yesterday.
Condemning the violence, Dr Yii urged everyone to make efforts to de-escalate the situation and to spread understanding and respect.
“We must stem this before it spreads any further and any quarters that continue to instigate and spread hate must face the full force of the law.
“Let us all move towards unity, not division.
“This is our opportunity to gain a better understanding of one another regardless of our race, religion or background and ensure nothing like this happens again,” he added.
Senator Abun Sui Anyit said he was shocked by the news of the firebombing incident at Jalan Satok here.
“This act goes against the Sarawakian culture of harmony. Moreover, Sarawak has always been known to be peaceful and was recently commended as a model state in terms of unity,” he said in a statement.
Abun urged the public to work with the authorities to trace those responsible for the attack.
“I hope Sarawakians will not be involved in incidents like this,” he said.
“We leave it to the authorities to solve this crime.”
On Monday, Kuching police chief Asst Comm Ahsmon Bajah confirmed that a report was lodged about the attack on Sunday.
He said a store worker reported that a Molotov cocktail thrown at the outlet caused boxes of beverages in front of the store to catch on fire.
This was the third such incident nationwide after a KK Super Mart outlet in Kuantan was attacked with a similar device last Saturday. There was also an attempt to firebomb an outlet in Bidor, Perak, earlier last week.
The convenience store chain got into a controversy following the discovery of socks printed with the word “Allah”.
Since then, certain parties have continued to call for a boycott of the chain.
