Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 16.2.2015.
UMNO Pulau Pinang is clearer stronger than UMNO Kelantan. This is demonstrated by UMNO Kelantan Chairman Mustapa Mohamed suggesting that UMNO should not contest in the Cempaka state seat that is vacant following the death of PAS spiritual leader and former Kelantan Menteri Besar Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat. Mustapa’s rationale for opting out of contesting is to focus on flood repairs and rehabilitation work, sounded so weak and unconvincing that even pro-UMNO Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali criticised it as hypocritical.
In contrast to Kelantan UMNO’s reluctance, UMNO Pulau Pinang Chairman Zainal Abidin Osman is going all-out to contest Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat because UMNO Penang is confident of doing well. This suggestion of contesting in one out of two by-elections is a calculated political strategy to maximize UMNO’s strength, concentrate its resources and divide PR by pleasing PAS. To help UMNO win Permatang Pauh Parliamentary seat, UMNO will not contest in Cempaka to please PAS and distance itself from Ibrahim Ali’s deplorable attacks on Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat, even after Nik Aziz’s death.
Clearly UMNO is going to take an extremist position to win Permatang Pauh that is opposite to the now debunked 1Malaysia concept. The public contempt shown by UMNO towards MCA, MIC and Gerakan is so obvious that UMNO can tell MCA to leave BN if they do not toe the line, whereas MCA dare not even ask UMNO to leave BN.
Nothing highlights this than Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s stubborn refusal to apologise for his lies maligning the the Chinese community for oppressing the Malays and that Chinese traders should be boycotted for not reducing prices. MCA Secretary-General Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan says it is pointless to pursue the matter futher since Ismail has no courage to apologise. MCA is so confused and unprincipled that they no longer understand the meaning of the word “courage’.
Courage means persisting in doing the right thing and doing it right, including admitting that you have made a mistake. It is not courage when you refuse to apologise for doing something wrong. Ismail’s refusal to admit making a mistake, or concede that he has wrongfully maligned the Chinese community, is not courage but sheer cowardice. Why did MCA dare not openly describe Ismail Sabri as a coward in Cabinet but has decided to surrender and drop the matter?
This confusion between courage and cowardice is sadder than MCA President Liow Tiong Lai meekly accepting Ismail Sabri’s meaningless expression of regret that did not retract his lies nor say sorry to the Chinese community. MCA feels that they can end this extremist controversy by a racist UMNO Minister, by using their control of BN-controlled mass media to no longer publish or highlight this issue prominently. However the Chinese community will not behave like MCA and subject itself to such bullying and unfair victimisation by UMNO?
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16日在吉隆坡发表声明：
为了协助巫统赢取峇东埔国会选区，巫统不会在真巴卡上阵，以讨好伊斯兰党，并与伊布拉欣阿里保持距离，后者在聂阿兹去世后的可恶言论受到谴责。
槟城巫统很明显地比吉兰丹巫统更强大。从丹州巫统主席慕斯达法在伊斯兰党精神领袖及前丹州州务大臣聂阿兹逝世后，建议巫统不应该上阵真巴卡州选区可以看出。慕斯达法建议不竞选的理由是为了把焦点放在水灾灾后重建工作，这听起来实在站不住脚，就连亲巫统土权主席依布拉欣阿里也批评他的言论虚伪。
比起吉兰丹州巫统的不愿竞选，槟州巫统主席再纳阿比丁则将会全力出战峇东埔国会选区，因为槟州巫统有信心。在两场补选中只建议竞选一场是一种政治策略，以全面发挥巫统的力量、集中精神及讨好伊斯兰党、分裂民联。为了协助巫统赢取峇东埔国会选区，巫统不会在真巴卡上阵，以讨好伊斯兰党，并与伊布拉欣阿里保持距离，后者在聂阿兹去世后的可恶言论受到谴责。
很明显地，巫统将会为了赢取峇东博而采取极端、完全与一个马来西亚背道而驰的立场。巫统公然藐视马华、国大党及民政党，巫统甚至说马华如果步伐不一，可以离开国阵，而马华却不敢叫巫统离开国阵。
最明显的例子是，农业及农基工业部长拿督斯里依斯迈固执地拒绝为他诬陷华社“压迫马来人”、“应抵制华商因为他们拒绝减价”而道歉。马华总秘书拿督斯里黄家泉说既然依斯迈连道歉的勇气也没有，那么继续追究也是没有意义的。马华如此混淆及没有原则，他们不明白什么叫“勇气”。
勇气是坚持做对的事、并且用对的方法去做，包括承认你犯错。如果你做错了事却不愿意道歉，那不是勇气。依斯迈拒绝承认错误，或承认他诬蔑华社，这不是勇气问题，简直就是懦弱。为什么马华不敢公开在内阁指依斯迈懦弱，反而选择放弃追究？
马华搞不清楚勇气和懦弱，这比马华总会长廖中莱卑恭地接受依斯迈毫无意义“表示遗憾”更可悲，依斯迈根本没有撤回他的谎言、也没有对华社道歉。马华或许觉得他们可以通过那些受国阵控制的媒体，让媒体不再显著报道这件事，来结束这个具争议性的课题。但是，华社不会像马华那样，继续被巫统欺负及不公平地迫害。
林冠英