KOTA KINABALU: The Chinese New Year celebration was marred by a fight between members of different lion dance groups in Luyang, claimed Luyang assemblyman Hiew King Cheu.
It is believed that a quarrel started during a CNY open house at a house in Luyang between members of the different lion dance groups, he said.
The incident had caused a lion dance performer to end up in hospital and a few being injured over a fight with knives, he said, adding that the case is now under police investigation, and the reason for the fight is still unknown.
Hiew said he was said that the incident happened in his constituency and he urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation.
He said many things could be learnt from this incident and it had very much to do with discipline within the troupes.
In some cases, troupe leaders seemed unable to discipline and gain full control over their members, he said.
To make matters worst, lion dance members were often given alcoholic drinks during their performance, and when under the influence of alcohol, things could go seriously wrong, he said in a statement, yesterday.
“This good old Chinese tradition is being spoilt by ill-discipline and bad behavior of the members, especially when members are not often Chinese.
“Today, most lion, unicorn, and dragon dance performances are done by only a few Chinese people. These non-Chinese members usually do not know much of the Chinese culture and tradition,” he said.
Hiew called on the police department to deal with such cases in more depth, adding that they should also work out a stricter procedure to control and monitor this type of activity.
He said it was also necessary to ensure safety, and discipline maintained by the troupes at all times.
“This is especially so when troupe members are seated at the back of speeding trucks fully loaded with equipment. Many fatal accidents had happened before, causing deaths due to carelessness and ill-discipline.”