YOURSAY | ‘Tian Chua trying to be a dramatic hero.’
BDS Malaysia slams KLCC mall over treatment of Palestine protesters
Outlier: Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), don’t talk nonsense. Suria KLCC is an international mall and a global landmark visited by tens of millions of people every year. Certainly, security should be tight, professional, and up to international standards.
Out of respect for the mall, if the protesters had finished protesting and wanted to enter the mall to relax, eat, and drink, they must show respect to other shoppers to remove all things that could be construed as a weapon or a threat.
Even if a large group of protesters suddenly walked in with scarves, flags or banners, what would security or other patrons think? Coming into the mall to protest and disrupt? Security of the mall’s other visitors comes first. I fully endorse and support the mall’s actions. There is no need to apologise.
Not everyone’s life revolves around the Palestinians and their plight. We sympathise, but please don’t think it is all-important that it should override everything else.
If you want to protest, you should rightfully protest at the Qatar, Saudi or UAE embassies for their countries not doing enough for their fellow Arab brothers while happily kissing up to the main patron saint of Israel.
And Tian Chua, please go away. PKR doesn’t want you, former party deputy-presidents Rafizi Ramli and Azmin Ali do not want you, no one wants you. Don’t embarrass yourself any further and just retire gracefully. You are not the young man of 1998 anymore, when you could take a few punches.
MerdekaMerdeka: The Palestinian cause is a highly emotional one the world over, Tian Chua. As such, KLCC mall has a very rational reason for not allowing or barring anyone from adorning, carrying or even representing any faction, group, cause or alliance to anything political.
Any mall is a place where families visit for a pleasant time off from their daily grind. Imagine if there were a pro-Israel group or even individuals who reacted to the pro-Palestinian supporters, even if not provoked?
The Palestinian keffiyeh (scarf) is a very obvious visual symbol. How can anyone with that scarf draped around themselves expect to be viewed as a “neutral” visitor? That is a glaring message in itself!!
It may or may not explode into a riot; however, it poses a very volatile and complex situation to quell and neutralise. And in a place with high visitor traffic like KLCC, it is a risk they would never want to take for not just for its visitors, but its high-end brand showrooms and merchants too.
Why all the nonsensical reaction to their terms and conditions as a visitor there, Tian Chua?
Mazhilamani: These are house rules for KLCC that must be stringently observed or respected by visitors and more so by the in-house security. Anything can go wrong in a busy and crowded shopping mall like KLCC.
Shoppers look forward to a safe, enjoyable and peaceful shopping or dining outing with friends and young children during the weekends. They would have least expected a banner-carrying or chanting protest group attempting to force itself into the mall. Such a thing may not have happened before.
Even if the police were there, they would have done the same thing to keep the protesters away. Chua wants to see himself as a dramatic hero, but that doesn’t mean he is right all the time.
Falcon: We wonder whose is irresponsible, silly, and recalcitrant for a political cause thousands of miles from their ground zero? You are free to stage your political protests and your hidden agendas in the areas facilitated by the security apparatus.
The moment you take it indoors and commercial areas where owners, tenants, customers/consumers and tourists’ rights are violated, it is strictly prohibited and certainly an abuse of the process!
BDS and other political persona non grata, please don’t bring “that war” back home! You are being totally selfish and irresponsible!
Learn from the Arab neighbours at ground zero unless you think your political self-righteousness overrides the rights, interests and primary interests of others in Malaysia, who also care, but there is a red line not to be crossed!
Moderation is the key to addressing issues, not a mercenary approach! No?
Warganegara Prihatin: The management of Suria KLCC Mall’s decision to prevent protesters from entering the premises certainly shows a keen awareness of maintaining decorum, especially when we consider how the solidarity week held at the end of October 2023 in schools featured students brandishing, toting toy guns, burning flags, and stepping on Israeli symbols.
Clearly, it’s essential to shield the mall from any hint of discord, as if the sight of protesters could be more alarming than the spectacle of children reenacting militant behaviour. What a commendable effort to keep things “peaceful”.
Robbie98: In these troubled economic times, most businesses and malls are struggling to keep their heads above water. The BDS group and the has-been politician should know better than to disrupt the functioning of a mall and their security.
If you must protest, have the courage to do so in front of the US embassy or, even better, the Saudi Arabian one.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.
These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.
