Chua Soi Lek demands punishment for those who play the race card
Chua: Punish those who play the race card
By Teoh El Sen
"I would not pay much attention to the words of Perkasa and those who have retired. For me, what our current prime minister says is more important. He (Najib) wants strength in diversity and we will hold him to that. He (Najib) has walked the talk... ," said Chua, referrring to recent comments by Malay rights group Perkasa and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in defending the Malay race.
"Whoever makes remarks that are extreme and stirs racial and religious sentiments should be punished," he said.
He was responding to queries on MCA's stand on the apparent spike in racist and Malay-centric rhetoric reported in the media of late.
These included Puteri Umno chief Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin's statement yesterday that the position of the Malays will be threatened should a non-Malay assume the premiership.
Last week, Mahathir also told Malays that they would lose power if Pakatan Rakyat took control of Putrajaya.
On the statement by the National Civics Bureau (BTN) deputy director Hamim Husin yesterday that it was the right of the Malays to rule, Chua said Hamim had "failed to understand what democracy is all about".
"It is not for him to decide who should rule the country, but it is the people who determine it. I think what he said is not extreme. He just needs to be re-trained. He doesn't realise that the world has changed but he has not changed," said Chua.
Wrong and unacceptable
On Hamim's reportedly deragotary remarks about the Chinese (“si sepet mata” or slitty eyes) and the Indians (“si kaki botol” or alcoholic) -- Chua said it was wrong and unacceptable.
"When you are a lecturer (at BTN), these are wrong things to say; he does not send across a good message of the 1Malaysia spirit. I'll leave it to the Attorney-General to see if whether he can be charged under the Sedition Act," said Chua, who was briefing reporters following the party's presidential council meeting today at the party headquarters here.
On the sacking of the 988 radio station's DJ, Jamaluddin Ibrahim, and his subsequent "roadshow" that targeted the MCA for its interference and for playing a role in his (Jamaluddin's) dismissal, Chua said he would like to "congratulate" him.
"I have no advice for him. As I said earlier, he should be aware of what he has done and what he is doing. He should know the response of the people to his actions," he said.
"He is so clever... suddenly we have a Malay who can speak Chinese, and everybody gets excited. But all the while we have so many Chinese who can speak Malay," he said.
Chua also said that MCA has appointed Kelantan MCA chief Dr Ng Yen Yen as the party's by-election director for the upcoming Galas by-election.
Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha has been appointed as coordinator to supervise all preparation.
"We are concerned about this by-election as Chinese voters can be considered quite substantial (22%), which constitutes some 2,400 voters," said Chua.
He said everybody, including himself, ministers and their deputies in the MCA have been directed to go down to the ground to assist the Barisan Nasional candidate.
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