Malaysians take aim at 2 politicians as sympathies come flooding for ‘hero’ Adib
FMT Reporters
-December 18, 2018 1:34 PM
Firemen salute as Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s coffin is carried past.PETALING JAYA: Despite calls for calm in the wake of the death of a fireman who was assaulted during the temple violence in Subang Jaya last month, many Malaysians on social media are reacting strongly to the news, blaming at least two government leaders for the events that led to his death.
Less than 12 hours after the National Heart Institute announced the news of Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s death, the hashtag #justice4Adib had been tweeted and retweeted 32,000 times.
Hashtags targeting Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waytha Moorthy and Selangor exco V Ganabatirau, whose earlier comments on the temple violence drew condemnation, have also been making the rounds.
“You are the one that is accountable for this. U must resign. If u hv any honour at all,” read a Twitter post addressed to Ganabatirau.
The hashtag #lucutWaytha (sack Waytha), calling for the minister’s resignation, is also circulating on Twitter, along with “wanted” posters featuring pictures of him and Ganabatirau.
“Stay away from the one who sparks chaos,” reads a line in the posters.
The anger has to do with the duo’s earlier reactions to the violence at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Seafield, Subang Jaya, which followed a land dispute between Hindu groups and a developer.
Ganabatirau had blamed Muslims for an attack on the temple in the early hours of Nov 26, before retracting his statement.
Meanwhile, Waytha drew fire after leading several ethnic Indian Pakatan Harapan leaders in accusing the police of being slow in stopping the mob.
“The level of hypocrisy is nauseating. You are responsible for this Waytha. We demand you to resign,” said user Sakinah Alhabshee, reacting to Waytha’s condolence message today.
The temple controversy was sparked after a faction in the temple backed by Hindu activists refused to relocate the 40-year-old structure, despite a consent judgment reached between the temple committee, developer One City and the Selangor government. Among others, the developer which owns the Seafield land agreed to give monetary compensation as well as a new plot gazetted for temple use.
Meanwhile, sympathies have been pouring in for Adib’s family, with many praising him as a hero.
Adding to the grief is the fact that he had been preparing for his marriage on Friday. A wedding invitation card was also posted on social media as a reminder.
“I don’t care who the culprit is and what is your race. You killed an innocent man. With all due respect, we want justice for him. Don’t let the killer get away. Parents lost their son, girl lost her fiancee, firefighters lost their amazing friend so we want #Justice4Adib,” wrote Fiqah.
“Adib was there to rescue. Not fight. He was unarmed and defenceless. A soldier seeks to fight, armed. Adib was not. And the only reason they attacked Adib was, he was unarmed. He had every reason to live. He had a girl waiting for him. Don’t say he gave life,” said Irfan Mahfuz Yusof.
