The Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah reminded Malaysians not to believe fake and slanderous news on social media.
He said these can jeopardise the country’s peace and security and every citizen should have a responsibility to avoid any form of conflict and disunity arising from negative elements of some parties.
“These parties are aimed at destroying the nation’s unity that has been built over the years.
“Practice tolerance and strive to understand each other, and at the same time, celebrate the differences in customs, culture, and religion so we can continue to live in an atmosphere of independence in the real meaning of the word.
“I pray that Malaysians are always blessed with lasting peace and prosperity,” he said on his official Facebook page on the occasion of the 62nd National Day celebrations.
On the other hand, retired Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei made an appeal to all Malaysians to be united and stand together as one.
He said he read comments of racial hatred flooding social media and this shocked him.
“It is not the Malaysia I fought for,” he said in his Facebook posting, adding that this is “all due to some very petty issues”.
The triple Olympic silver medallist said he has not been frequenting social media as often as he used to because of the increasing negative comments.
He further appealed to all Malaysians not to allow disunity due to “one random voice”, while touching on the introduction of khat (Jawi writing) in the Bahasa Melayu school syllabus in vernacular schools next year.
Political Twists
An MP from the Pakatan Harapan government said the people are disappointed in the current administration.
Charles Santiago criticised the Pakatan leaders, especially Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, saying people were afraid that he was “back to his old tricks”.
“Today, we are not the champions of the people. In fact, people are livid and feel betrayed.
“And if another general election is called now, chances are we will lose Putrajaya, ” Santiago said in a Facebook post on Friday (Aug 31).
He said he had held out a “tiny flash of hope” for positive reforms, but this was “dashed” when Dr Mahathir said there was no vacancy for PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the new Cabinet.
“The premier’s words only go to show that we are more focused on holding on to power rather than nation-building.