Francis Light is a name known to Malaysians as the person who founded George Town in Penang. In order to honour his contribution to the state, a statue of him was erected at Fort Cornwallis back in 1936.
However, on Tuesday (30 June), the statue was found defaced and splashed with red paint by a staff working there. George Town OCPD Asst Comm Soffian Santong said, as reported by The Star,
“We received a report on the statue being vandalised and defaced with red paint. Police are investigating the case, which has been classified under Section 427 of the Penal Code for committing mischief.”
The statue has been cleaned but some red paint marks are still visible on it. CCTV recordings have also been reviewed but the footages were unclear and they failed to identify the culprit.
Hopefully, those who are responsible for the crime be brought to justice soon. No matter the intention, there’s always a better way to convey your intended message and vandalism is not the way.
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