Grocer in viral brawl regrets incident, urges public not to racialise it

“I WISHED this day never happened.”

Those were the words of Goh Yan Eng, the Chinese grocer who was involved in a brawl inside his store in Seberang Jaya, Penang two weeks ago.

Recalling the fisticuffs with an Indian customer, Goh, who is the owner of Kim Leong Mini Market, said he regretted the incident, which landed him behind bars for two days.

“When the (fight) video went viral that Wednesday night, I couldn’t sleep until Thursday.

“And then the police took me in and jailed me for two days. I was released on Saturday and until then I could not sleep,” the 49-year-old businessman told BFM in an interview.

On June 5, a video showing the fight between Goh and his customer took social media by storm.

In the video, the customer slammed his helmet onto the cashier and challenged the shopkeeper to a “one-on-one” fight.

Police arrested both men under Sections 324 and 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt, as well as Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for behaving in a threatening or insulting manner.

They were detained for two days and released on June 8.

Penang police chief Hamzah Ahmad said both men have since buried the hatchet and have retracted their police reports.

Since then, a photo of the duo shaking hands and smiling in the presence of policemen has gone viral.

In the recent interview with BFM, Goh also clarified that the incident was not racially motivated, nor was it caused by the customer being drunk.

“The incident was not something that we asked for. It was not a racial issue or because he was drunk.

“Some said this issue was sparked because he was drunk. But no,” Goh said, advising people not to get into fights if they are drunk.

“Everyone who is drunk should know their limits.

“For example, if I’m drunk, I’ll be quiet, go to sleep, watch television or listen to music.

“But if some are drinking alcohol to start a fight, then we should not go to that level,” he added.

Goh urged Malaysians not to turn the issue into a racial matter and advised them to always be united.

“Don’t fight. It is not worth it,” he said.

Goh also advised Malaysians to take up martial arts for self-defence and not to use it to pick fights.

Meanwhile, the Indian customer who was involved in the brawl has now become a social media influencer.

He was featured in a video promoting pre-made frozen meat products for the well-known local eatery chain Pak Mat Western Cafe. – June 19, 2024.