National Patriots Association president Brig Gen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji says anybody who had lived through the bloody May 13 racial riots in 1969 would not wish to go through such an event even again. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 ― Security forces veterans’ group National Patriots Association has urged organisers of a proposed December 8 rally to cancel the event, following rumours of an impending riot during the event.

The group said anybody who had lived through the bloody May 13 racial riots in 1969 would not wish to go through such an event even again.

“We believe all those who had been making such unwarranted hate speeches and statements had not seen nor experienced having to live in fear during the darkest period in the nation’s history,” said its president Brig Gen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji, referring to May 13.

“For most that had lived through that dark period would not want to be a witness to such catastrophic and horrendous scene of destruction and burned bodies strewn across the streets of Kuala Lumpur ever again.”

On Thursday, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim had revealed that troublemakers are taking advantage of divided public opinion to stir up racial and religious sensitivities.

It said there is no longer a point to hold the rally against the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), following Putrajaya’s decision not to ratify the treaty yesterday.

“We members of Patriot that had served the Armed Forces and the Malaysian Police during those trying period in our nation’s history were witness to such horrendous scenes,” he said.

“It is for this very reason we urge the organisers of the 8 December anti-ICERD rally that is primarily a Malay based rally, not to proceed with the event.”

The group added that there is no reasonable justification for the rally to proceed, even as organisers now said it will still be held to celebrate Putrajaya’s decision.

“Patriot is of the view that such a claim is irrational and void of reasoning,” it said.

It also urged the chief of defence forces to announced that the Armed Forces will support the police to prevent anything untoward occurs during the rally.

Yesterday, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had also said that there is no need for the rally to proceed, describing any moves to continue with such a rally as being unreasonable.