DAP Youth Lodge Reports Against Gamis over May 13 Remarks on Dong Zong

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A group of DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) members will lodge simultaneous police reports against the Malaysian Muslim Students Coalition (Gamis) over its provocative remarks on Chinese education group Dong Zong.

Yusof Mat Isa

The reports will be filed at nine police stations in Johor, Kedah, Melaka, Perak, Penang, Perlis, and Sabah, at around 2pm onwards. Some 45 members are expected to participate.

DAPSY deputy student leader Calvin Yeoh in Perak said members in Pahang and Sarawak may tentatively join in filing the simultaneous police reports later today.

“We are against these types of statements. DAPSY decided to file the reports in light of the fact that Gamis is a student movement, so it would be better for another student group or movement to file the reports,” he told Malay Mail.

Yeoh said it is not an issue if Gamis publicly states its opposition to Dong Zong or disagrees with it on the subject of teaching Jawi script in vernacular schools but making references to the May 13 racial riots in 1969 is “unacceptable”.

“There should always be a line of boundary on what can be said or not. Students who are future leaders should not come up with such statements.

“This is worrying for the future of Malaysians. If such students were to go on to lead the country with this kind of mentality, it could end up disastrous for everyone,” he said.

On Tuesday, Gamis said that so long as Dong Zong remains in existence, the recurrence of May 13 was still a possibility. Its president Saifullah Baiduri urged the Home Ministry and police to ban the group, on grounds of being an obstacle towards unity and nation-building.

He also urged students regardless of race and religion to continuously show opposition to Dong Zong until the authorities band the organisation.

Following backlash on social media, Gamis deputy president Mohd Zofrie Zulhilmie Ruslee was reported by Malaysiakini as saying they used May 13 as a reference to Dong Zong in their Twitter account, so as to invite readers to look at their statement instead of focusing on the headline alone.

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Gamis’ remarks followed in the wake of Dong Zong organising the Chinese Organisation Congress together with several other Chinese education groups, which will be held this Saturday as part of efforts to convince the government to reconsider introducing Jawi script lessons in vernacular schools. – MMO