Last month, KL Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib announced a project to upgrade Jalan Alor into a “food paradise of international standards”.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 ― Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia is seeing red over a Kuala Lumpur City Hall project to turn Jalan Alor here into a “Food Paradise”, alleging the venture only benefits the Chinese community.

In it weekend edition, Mingguan Malaysia, the newspaper’s editors writing today under the shared “Awang Selamat” pseudonym said the country had a Malay majority that should be promoted first.

“Awang is sad because the authorities should have started a Malay food hub first if they wanted to create such a concept in the capital,” the newspaper wrote in the editorial today.

“Keep in mind that Malaysia is multiracial but with Malays and Bumiputeras at its core. Like it or not, that is the reality.”

Jalan Alor is a former red-light district in KL’s Golden Triangle shopping hub that later found a new lease on life as a bustling street food haven. It later became a tourist attraction that sees visitors arrive by the busload to sample from its selection of stalls.

Last month, KL Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib announced a project to upgrade Jalan Alor into a “food paradise of international standards”.

“The upgrading effort will be implemented through the co-operation of premise owners and merchants around the region in achieving the concept of ‘Jalan Alor Night Food Paradise’,” Ahmad Phesal said in a statement then.

“We will also provide quality furniture including an efficient waste disposal and water system to the merchants as to preserve the area’s hygiene,” he added.

Today, Awang warned DBKL to be mindful of what the effort would achieve, alleging that a strong Chinese image in Bukit Bintang already made it resemble Hong Kong.

The newspaper also continued with the theme of ostracising Chinese voters that it took up following the May 5 general election, when it ran a story with the headline “Apa lagi Cina mahu?” (What more do the Chinese want?) on its front page.

“Furthermore, from way before the voters in the area have never supported the government; even if given the moon and the stars, there will be no appreciation.”

Utusan had seized upon the “Chinese tsunami” catchphrase in the aftermath of Election 2013, which saw Barisan Nasional (BN) win with a smaller majority of 133 seats, to target the minority community over the ruling coalition’s losses.

The project to upgrade Jalan Alor to become the global “Food Paradise” is scheduled to begin in October and is expected to be completed 11 months later.