Malaysian police warn of ethnic tensions on social media after divisive election

Malaysian police have cautioned the country’s social media users to refrain from posting “provocative” content on race and religion after a divisive general election on Saturday that ended in a hung parliament.
Two major alliances are now racing to secure support from other parties to form the government: a multiethnic, progressive bloc led by veteran opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and a conservative Malay Muslim coalition led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
The police warning comes as race-based narratives dominated political chatter on social media during and after the election, according to an online hate speech monitoring project run by the Malaysia-based Centre for Independent Journalism.
It also comes as electoral gains by an Islamist party that has touted sharia law raised fears among investors over its potential impact on policies.
Race and religion are thorny issues in multicultural Malaysia, which has a majority of mostly Muslim ethnic Malays alongside significant ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian minorities of other faiths.