KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 ― Lim Kit Siang disagreed today with international media reports suggesting racial strife in Malaysia following this week's purportedly “anti-Chinese” red shirt rally, although he agreed that the pro-government demonstration had forced race relations here to its lowest point since 1969.

The DAP veteran said he was “ashamed” to read reports describing the rally as “anti-Chinese” and said it was untrue that the Malays and Muslims in Malaysia were under siege, as alleged by participants of the demonstration.

“Is Malaysia heading in that direction of inter-racial strife, unrest and political turmoil?

“Definitely not, or there would not have been a peaceful gathering of Malaysians, in hundreds of thousands, many times the size of the Red Shirts Sept 16 Malay rally, just a fortnight ago,” he said in a statement, referring to last month's Bersih 4 gathering that saw tens of thousands crowding the streets of the capital for 34 hours to demand institutional reforms, free and fair polls and the prime minister's resignation.

Unlike Wednesday's red shirts rally by pro-government Malay groups, Lim said Bersih 4's  objectives transcended race, religion and politics.

The red shirt demonstration, on the other hand, represented the race-based politics of the past, he said, and warned that allowing this sentiment to grow would only result in Malaysia becoming a failed nation.

“The international image of anti-Chinese demonstrations in Malaysia is untrue and incorrect, as there is no Malay-Chinese conflict or confrontation, but a battle between the politics of the nation for the future versus the politics of race of the past.

“Those who want to defend the politics of race of the past want to create the false image that Malaysia is being convulsed by a racial confrontation and conflict between the Malays and the Chinese so as to preserve the past pattern of politicking ― and to destroy the politics of the nation of the future from surfacing and replacing the politics of race of the past,” he said.

Lim urged local leaders to get to work immediately to repair Malaysia's international image, and suggested the formation of a National Goodwill Committee like the one formed after the 1969 riots.

He suggested that former Cabinet minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz should chair the committee, saying the outspoken leader would be the best candidate for the job.

Rafidah was among a few Umno stalwarts who had criticised the need for a Malay demonstration in the city streets ahead of the “red shirt” rally, which saw thousands of people bussed into the federal capital to protest a purported ethnic Chinese domination during last month’s Bersih 4.

The public protest was largely peaceful, marred only by sporadic outbreaks of racism targeting the ethnic Chinese minority, with one Malay protester recorded calling a reporter “Cina gila babi” [Crazy Chinese pig] and telling her to “Balik Cina” [Go back to China].

The rally dubbed “Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu” [United People’s Rally], alternatively called “Himpunan Maruah Melayu” [Malay Dignity Rally], also saw placards with racially-tinged slogans in Malay like “Malaysia belongs to the Malays”, “Defend Malay rights”, and “Get rid of SJKC”, referring to Chinese vernacular schools.

Police were forced to briefly deploy water cannons against protesters who refused to disperse from Petaling Street, though the gathering at Padang Merbok ended peacefully.