Malaysia's king pleads for ethnic solidarity

Malaysia's king pleads for ethnic solidarity

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia's king opened a new parliamentary session on Monday with a warning that racial conflict could strangle progress, as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and the opposition traded accusations about recent ethnic violence, the country's worst in three decades.

In a speech to Parliament heralded by the blare of trumpets, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah urged Malaysians to strengthen unity, "to defend the country against its enemies."

"Avoid matters that can bring about conflicts based on race, religion and politics, because this can affect the country's prosperity and political stability," Sultan Salahuddin said, after thanking Allah -- the Muslim word for God -- for ensuring that Malaysia was peaceful and stable.

Sultan Salahuddin -- who is Malaysia's head of state but holds mostly ceremonial powers - did not directly refer to the four days of intermittent clashes that erupted between ethnic Malay and ethnic Indian villagers on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on March 8.

But some lawmakers who attended Monday's session predicted that the violence, which killed at least six people and wounded dozens, will dominate debates in Parliament.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad accused the opposition of trying to exploit the clashes for "political mileage," but said that national unity remained intact. "The basic harmony is still there, but there are people who are influenced by the opposition parties," Mahathir told reporters. "If the government is toppled, they hope to reap the benefits."

The four-party opposition coalition accused Mahathir of politicizing the deaths, and urged police to investigate him for telling reporters last week that groups he did not identify were spreading rumors that hundreds of people were killed in the fighting.

The government and police responded to the fighting by denying it was race-based and announcing that anyone who spread rumors about it would face sedition charges, which carry a maximum three-year sentence. Police confirmed on Monday that one man had been arrested in the western city of Ipoh after workmates reported him for talking about the clashes in the lunchroom.

"Perhaps Dr. Mahathir has his own evidence (of the number of deaths), otherwise he would not have mentioned the rumors," opposition leaders said Monday in a joint statement. "If not, Dr. Mahathir might be seen as manipulating the media to spread wild rumors deliberately. This needs to be investigated."

Works Minister Samy Vellu, Malaysia's top ethnic Indian politician, said the king's speech underscored the government's fear that many of Malaysia's 22 million people take racial harmony for granted.

Ethnic violence is very rare in Malaysia, but fighting between the predominant Muslim Malay community and ethnic Chinese minority killed hundreds of people in 1969.

"We have become more modern, but our minds are still not united," Samy said. "Small problems can become racial problems."

This month's violence flared after an Indian villager angered Malays by knocking over furniture at a Malay wedding. Observers say it highlights discontent among ethnic Indians, who are generally poorer than other ethnic groups and do not benefit from affirmative action programs targeting Malays, who comprise more than half Malaysia's population. Ethnic Chinese make up nearly 30 percent; Indians about eight percent.

Meanwhile, police in the east coast state of Terengganu have barred mention of recent ethnic clashes in the Malaysian capital during political gatherings.

Rallies and other gatherings in Terengganu, one of two states governed by the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), may go ahead only if speakers did not touch on ethnic issues, police chief Mohd Yusoff Jaafar said on Monday.

"It (the ban) can include incidents at Taman Medan, racial tensions, racial disharmony and other security matters," Mohd Yusoff told Reuters by telephone.

The order comes in the wake of a temporary ban by police in Selangor, who are responsible for order in the area affected by the clashes, on all "ceramahs" or political talks in the west coast state.