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PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker called for calm over an incident in Penang where the owners of a restaurant are being investigated for allegedly having communist-themed decorations on the premises.
The deputy minister of National Unity said such incidents were localized and isolated and could be easily resolved without having to reopen old wounds.
“It should not be overstated. Our ministry has mediators who can address these issues and nip them in the bud so that they are not exploited or sensationalized by irresponsible parties,” he said.
Ti, who is also vice president of the MCA, added that while the communist insurgency left a black mark on Malaysian history, it is a chapter that has since been considered closed, and attention must now be paid to more current challenges and problems. .
“Communism is an old wound and we have closed that chapter. Today, we have established good and close diplomatic relations with China.
“We should move on and not revisit old issues,” he said.
Ti said this when asked to comment on authorities taking action at a restaurant in Bukit Mertajam displaying works of art similar to those on communist propaganda posters in China on Saturday (January 2).
Since then, the restaurant’s owner has explained that while the interior décor may have some resemblance to communist propaganda posters, the content was more upbeat and had more to do with food than promoting ideology.
Since then, the authorities have removed and confiscated the restaurant’s wallpaper, which featured cartoons of the Chinese communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
They also seized four small mugs bearing Mao’s face and detained the 23-year-old restaurant manager for further investigation.
The same wallpaper was also removed at the restaurant’s branch in Pulau Tikus.
Police are now investigating the motive for communist-themed decorations under Section 47 of the Companies Act for posting propaganda of an illegal society and Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code for making, posting or circulating statements with intended to cause, or likely to cause public alarm.
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