JULY 19 — Developments trailing the weekend fracas at Low Yat Plaza show that interracial relationship is indeed getting increasingly frail in Malaysia.

A simple theft incident that had nothing to do with race could be blown out of proportion by irresponsible quarters into a race-motivated riot.

From the tons of video clips registering the boisterous brawl on Sunday night, we can see how the lawless mobsters smashed up the shops and vehicles, beat up innocent bystanders and journalists.

Malaysians will continue to live in fear and uneasiness if the police do not take swift actions to bring those responsible to book and prevent recurrence of similar incidents in the future.

There is an apparent lack of positive energy in the country’s political and social climate. Our politicians are busy with their politicking while extra-political fringe organizations are more than happy to raise sensitive racial and religious issues. Most of them have somehow been spared from government action.

We must treasure our diversity in culture and religion.

We should take the initiative to mingle with people from different cultural and religious backgrounds, offering our sincere greetings during festive seasons instead of confining ourselves within the cocoon of our own community.

Social media sites such as Facebook are double-sided swords. Information travels at a speed much faster than any of us could imagine, be it real or false, good or evil. To make things worse, many just swallow whatsoever fed to them wholesale. They start cursing, liking or sharing without analyzing the authenticity of the news.

As such, it is very easy for a fabricated piece of news to spread like wild fire so long as there is someone trying to fan the flame by putting up some make-believe stories to fool the masses.

When quoting Facebook users in follow-up stories, it is imperative that journalists filter the information and seek clarification first before publishing them.

In the meantime, the 1MDB scandal has snowballed into a massive storm confronting the Najib administration.

We all know that there is some hidden political agenda behind the whole issue, but the people are more concerned about the US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) that allegedly went into Najib’s personal bank accounts.

The opposition has found a great opportunity in this incident to call for Najib to step down from office while others propose that the PM go on leave pending investigation.

Najib has since instructed the establishment of a special task force to probe this case, but the problem is: the heads of PDRM, MACC, Auditor-General’s Office and Bank Negara are all the PM’s people. Do you expect any reliable outcome from a probe carried out by subordinates against their boss?

So, people start to query the integrity of the task force. I think DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang’s proposal is perhaps the most creative. He said we should set up a royal commission of inquiry to be chaired by former PM Tun Mahathir.

The thing is: Mahathir was the very person who first called for Najib’s resignation. How can a plaintiff be the prosecutor and the judge all at the same time?

Uncle Lim also proposed to make former DPM Tun Musa Hitam the caretaker PM until the next general elections, although Musa is not a Member of Parliament. So, there comes another alternative, Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Mahathir, the opposition camp, pro-Pakatan NGOs and many others who are hiding at the back but are equally eager to see the PM toppled, are getting excessively excited. Finally, their most hated man is about to leave in disgrace. But, it is yet to be seen whether Najib will just leave as they have wished.

Now, who leaked out the information?

There is something that goes like this in Malaysian politics: Don’t rule him out just yet. Indeed, there have been strong undercurrents within Umno after the 2013 general elections. Even as Najib appears to be the underdog in this whole thing, the cabinet displayed unprecedented solidarity last week to stand behind the PM. Of course, no one can tell for sure what will happen until the very last minute.

Just when Najib was struggling under tremendous pressure, Mahathir enjoyed some light moments as his children and grandchildren celebrated with him his 90^th birthday. His wife even shared her experience as a respectable First Lady, which many see as hinting at a certain person.

When guesses are going around whether the PM will eventually bow out, many have seemed to overlook a crucial question: Which among the task force parties will be responsible for probing the leak of sensitive information to WSJ and Sarawak Report?

The 1.6-million-strong civil workforce in the country has always been an indomitable vote bank  for the ruling coalition. For so many decades the government has been pleasing this group of workers, handing out handsome rewards without pursuing their wrongdoing. This has since spawned a multitude of fearless and at times lawless Little Napoleons.

Let’s put aside what will eventually come of the US$700 million scandal.

If it is possible for an investigation report to be sold, why not our entire country one day?

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.