Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Penang On 13.2.2015.
DAP condemns Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for refusing to end the racist controversy for his vicious falsehoods against the Chinese community. While this is not surprising coming from a racist UMNO Minister, it is sad that MCA President Liow Tiong Lai has meekly accepted Ismail Sabri’s illogical rationale that appear to justify Ismail’s attacks against the Chinese community.
How can Liow Tiong Lai accept Ismail Sabri’s meaningless expression of regret that did not retract nor say sorry to the Chinese Community for Ismail’s lies maligning the Chinese community for oppressing the Malays and that Chinese traders are to be blamed for not reducing prices?
Ismail Sabri did not apologise for his statement. There was no remorse expressed by Ismail to the Chinese community for hurting them with lies. He merely said, “My comments have gone viral. I regret the statement had led to racial sentiments.” In other words, Ismail was only expressing regret that his statement had led to racial sentiments. There was no regret for the contents in his statement that targeted the Chinese community. This general clarification does not amount to retracting or apologising to the Chinese community.
Liow has clearly betrayed his vow to fight for justice for the maligned Chinese community by accepting that Ismail merely issue an official clarification instead of of a retraction AND apology as MCA promised to the Chinese community. As Liow can no longer compel Ismail Sabri to retract or apologise, Liow Tiong Lai clearly wants to end the controversy by accepting this unrepentant clarification, which is a non-apology and non-retraction by Ismail Sabri.
By backing down Liow has only given encouragement to UMNO leaders to continue their racist and extremist tendencies because they can just ignore MCA and know they will not be punished. Before Ismail, another outrageous and inflammatory lie was by former UMNO Deputy Minister Dr Mashitah Ibrahim during the UMNO General Assembly last year that the Chinese community in Kedah had burned the Quran in a Chinese prayer ritual when it was done by a deranged Malay Muslim male. In the same UMNO General Assembly, UMNO Permatang Pauh Division Chairman Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said made a false claim that the political and economic strength of the Chinese in Penang comes from illegal economic activities such as illegal gambling, prostitution and entertainment outlets. Both did not retract or apologise for their baseless attacks.
Will Liow prove former MCA President Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek is wrong to say that Liow is weak, cowardly and even deceitful by mustering up the courage to tell Cabinet that the matter is still not resolved because Ismail had not retracted and apologise to the Chinese community?
LIM GUAN ENG
—– Mandarin Version —–
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2015年2月13日在槟城发表声明：
廖中来怎样能够接受依斯迈沙比里那毫无意义的“表示遗憾”，那根本不是依斯迈尔撤回言论、也不是向华社道歉的表示，他怪罪华社压迫马来人、不愿降低物价。
民主行动党谴责农业及农基部长拿督斯里依斯迈拒绝停止其种族主义言论以及针对华社的恶毒指控。虽然这些话从种族主义巫统部长口中讲出来并不出奇，但是马华总会长廖中莱却卑恭屈节地接受依斯迈用来掩饰他攻击华社的不逻辑理由。
廖中来怎样能够接受依斯迈沙比里那毫无意义的“表示遗憾”，那根本不是依斯迈尔撤回言论、也不是向华社道歉的表示，他怪罪华社压迫马来人、不愿降低物价。
依斯迈没有道歉。他也没有为自己说谎伤害华社而表示后悔。他只是说：“我的言论已经广为流传。我对于我的言论引发种族情绪感到遗憾。”换句话说，依斯迈只是对于自己的言论引发种族情绪感到遗憾。他并没有为自己的言论伤害华社感到后悔。这般普通的澄清不等于撤回言论或向华社道歉。
廖中莱已经明显地背叛了自己为受诋毁的华社讨回公道的誓言，他竟然接受依斯迈沙比里仅仅发布官方澄清，而不是要求他撤回言论及道歉。由于廖中莱再也无法迫使依斯迈撤回言论或道歉，廖中莱明显急于收场，才会接受依斯迈那毫无悔意的澄清，即非道歉、也非撤回言论。
廖中莱如此退缩，不只鼓励巫统领袖继续他们的种族主义及极端主义。因为他们知道自己不会被处罚，因此可以不理会马华。在依斯迈之前，我国来自巫统的前副部长马西达去年在巫统全国代表大会上怪罪吉打州华裔社群在华人的祭拜活动上焚烧《可兰经》，事实上是一名马来精神病患所为。在那个巫统大会上，巫统峇东埔区会主席拿督莫哈末再迪也发表错误声明，他说，槟城华人的政治及经济力量来自非法经济活动如：非法赌博、娼妓业及娱乐业。但是他们两人都没有撤回言论或为自己的言论道歉。
廖中莱能不能鼓起勇气，坚定地告依然如故内阁这件事还没有解决，因为依斯迈还没有撤回言论并向华社道歉，以证明马华前总会长丹斯里蔡细历医生指他懦弱、讲大话是错的？
林冠英