MALAYSIA MALL RIOT HOLDS LESSONS TO SINGAPORE

The riot in Malaysia’s Low Yat Plaza at City of Kuala Lumpur last weekend would not have escalated with the pace and ferocity it did, were it not for the speed with which rumours spread through social media.

Footage of the fight, taken shakily with a myriad of smartphones belonging to spectators, spread like wildfire, reaching millions of viewers in a matter of days.

The events unfolding in Malaysia hold lessons for Singapore. The Republic boasts the highest smartphone penetration rate globally, and its citizens are among the most active on social media.

Every day, netizens latch on to new photographs and videos, which go viral. 
Every now and then, the content focuses on the inter-racial relationships in a multicultural society.

This may be an opportune time to note that while Singapore lives in relative harmony now, this was not always the case.
The Maria Hertogh riots in 1950 and the 1964 race riots left dozens dead and hundreds more injured.

• In an era of instant information, where the lines between fact and fiction can sometimes be blurred, Singapore would do well not to take the peace its races enjoy for granted.

Source: Agency