A SARAWAK assemblyman views the uproar over the Chinese New Year decoration at a school in Selangor as a test of how liberal the new Pakatan Harapan government is. 

Batu Lintang representative See Chee How said groups “turning anything and everything into race and religious issues” are no longer isolated.

He was responding to complaints by Muslim parents of students of SMK Bandar Puchong 1 and threats from Malay rights group Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) that deemed the decorations as an attempt to propagate a religion to students.

“It appears that the country is facing challenges from certain interested groups and people rearing heads of extremism and ill-intents – all seemingly to test the limits of liberalism promoted by the new administration,” See, who is also Sarawak PKR election director, said.

While See saw the row as a test, a political analyst saw it as a worsening race relations.

Dr Denison Jayasooria said under the PH administration, race relations in the country have worsened in the last two years and he blamed it on the lack of political leadership and party cooperation among PH coalition members for it. 

Last Tuesday, Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg, when asked what could tear the delicate race and religious fabric in the state, said “extreme bigotry” will unravel it if it is not handled right. 

The chief minister said while the majority of Sarawakians are moderates, he fears the entry of bigots from the peninsular will not only threaten the state’s social fabrics but also its political stability. 

Abang Johari is also placing his hope on mixed marriages, which have become very common in the state.

With this, he said there will come a time when racial issues will “not be there anymore”.

He said the “hybrid Sarawakians” – his reference to children from mixed marriages – would have more respect and understanding of their parents’ race as they would be growing up mixing with their grandparents and relatives of different races and religion. – January 8, 2020.