Why is MCA Youth leader Liow Tiong Lai blaming the Malacca state secretary as “Little Napoleon” for the unilateral, arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive 2,000-strong operation to forcibly cull tens of thousands of pigs in Malacca on Sept. 4 when it was clearly on the directive of Chief Minister Ali Rustam?

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Media Statement (2)   
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Saturday): MCA Youth leader and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai yesterday launched a ferocious attack on the Malacca State Secretary, Datuk Ismail Salleh, labeling him as a “Little Napoleon” responsible for the unilateral, arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive 2,000-strong operation to forcibly cull tens of thousands of pigs in Malacca, forcing a nine-hour standoff with defenceless men, women and children in Paya Mengkuang on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Liow claimed that Ismail launched the massive multi-agency operation without approval by the Malacca State Government. He described what happened on Tuesday as a blot to the 50^th Merdeka anniversary which could not be tolerated.

In a speech in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Liow put the whole blame on Ismail in unilaterally resorting to force against defenceless men, women and children when the state government was still discussing how to resolve the pig-rearing problem, stressing that such insubordination by Ismail should not be allowed to recur.

Liow’s speech has come as a shock for two reasons:

Firstly, why he is blaming the Malacca state secretary as “Little Napoleon” for the unilateral, arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive 2,000-strong operation to forcibly cull tens of thousands of pigs in Malacca on Sept. 4, mobilizing Police FRU, water cannons and even police helicopter, resulting in a nine-hour standoff with defenceless men, women and children, when the whole operation was clearly on the directive of Chief Minister Ali Rustam?

Secondly,  if Liow absolves Ali Rustam from responsibility (which cast a severe aspersion on his competence and capability as Malacca  Chief Minister), are the MCA leaders both at national and state levels demanding that serious disciplinary action be taken against the Malacca state secretary – at minimum his immediate remvoval?

Clearly, a person who could act in  so unilateral, arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive a fashion, committing gross insubordination as well completely heedless of the sensitivities of a plural society, is not fit to continue a single day in such a high office as the No. 1 civil servant in the state government.

Or was Liow merely indulging in the latest MCA “sandiwara” to deflect public attention from the latest MCA political failure and irresponsibility despite their representation in all three tiers of government – national, state and local?

(8/9/2007)