GEORGE TOWN – The Penang Island City Council today lodged a police report over vandalised road signs, where Chinese characters are sprayed with black paint.
This comes after a Facebook Live video, in which several men are seen vandalising two road signs in Gat Lebuh Armenian and Weld Quay, went viral.
The men, believed to be political activists, are heard in the clip saying “We live in Malaysia” and “Don’t be racist”.
“This act of vandalism is regretted, and we would like to advise the public to take care of public facilities for the common good,” said a spokesman for the council’s corporate communications and public relations division.
In 2008, the then Penang government headed by Lim Guan Eng agreed to allow the installation of multilingual signage.
The move to let English, Tamil, Chinese and Arabic appear on road signs, besides Malay, was aimed at attracting foreign tourists.
District police chief Soffian Santong confirmed receiving the council’s report, and said the case will be investigated under Section 427 and Section 505(c) of the Penal Code, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“A suspect has been identified, and we hope to make an arrest soon.” – The Vibes, October 26, 2020
