KUCHING: Anyone who has spoken against any race or religion must be arrested and brought to court. If necessary or possible, they must be punished and rehabilitated, said Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) chairman Datuk John Lau.
He suggested that the enforcement of this should start with the leaders of the country, and so he urged them to “lead by example”.
Lau said this in response to a statement made by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador. Last Wednesday the IGP warned that people (including political leaders) who incite racial and religious conflicts would be investigated and arrested.
He believed that Abdul Hamid was the first IGP to make such a strong statement related to racial and religious issues in the country.
“The IGP’s very positive statement discourages racial and religious bigotry which can divide the people. “This is especially important in a country which prides itself on its multicultural population living in unity and harmony,” said Lau.
He stated that all policies, regulations and decisions need to be made for the good of every citizen of Malaysia where race and religion should not be decisive factors.
On another note, Lau also extended SPA’s congratulations to the state police force for “cleaning their own house” by arresting police personnel with drug-related offences, citing recent comments by Sarawak Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Dev Kumar M M Sree.
“We are convinced that with the new leadership of Sarawak police, more and more citizens will cooperate with the police to fight crime,” he said.
