KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — Authorities in Johor Baru should use the controversy over a street mural there as impetus to “wipe out JB’s reputation” for crime, said DAP’s Lim Kit Siang today.

Instead of removing the mural, the DAP advisor said the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB), the police and the state government should focus on taking effective steps to make the city safer by reducing crime.

“The authorities show a completely wrong sense of priorities, in expending energy on how to remove the ‘sting’ of Zachas’ ‘high crime’ mural in JB with various ‘creative’ ideas to allow the ‘offensive’ mural to remain in JB, when what is most important of all is for the authorities to take meaningful and effective action to ensure that JB becomes a low-crime city which is safe and secure for residents, visitors and investors.

“The relevant authorities in JB — the JB City Council, the Johor Police and the Johor State Government — must not ‘do nothing’ but must use the controversy over Zachas’ ‘high-crime’ mural to launch a new initiative to wipe out JB’s reputation as the nation’s crime capital,” Lim said in a statement.

The mural in question, by street artist Ernest Zacharevic, depicts a Lego man wearing a ski mask and holding a knife waiting to rob a Lego woman carrying a “Chanel” bag.

But the installation by Zacharevic, who painted a series of wall art in George Town, Penang as part of the George Town Festival 2012, triggered controversy in social media over the apparent innuendo of crime in the southern state.

Yesterday, Johor CPO Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff insisted that the state is safe for residents and businesses, saying it is “incorrect to show Johor in such a manner”.

Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) corporate communications officer Aziz Ithnin had said the local authority would issue written notices to owners of the buildings where the wall art are located, to paint over them.

Aziz described the “wall paintings” as “vandalism” and said the notices will be issued as soon as possible.

Yesterday, two local painters took it upon themselves to add a Lego police officer with a pair of handcuffs to the mural.

Zacharevic made the scene a couple of years ago with a series of wall art in George Town, Penang. The project was part of the George Town Festival 2012.

His wall art including the whimsical “Little Boy with Pet Dinosaur”, poignant “Boy on a Bike” and joyful “Little Children on a Bicycle” continue to draw crowds of people every day.

Zacharevic’s other drawings in Johor Baru depicts a couple looking at a large “tree” that is actually a patch of green moss on the wall and a water tank around a plastic pipe sticking out of a wall.