Former MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu may not be correct that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s decision to let Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob off the hook for Ismail’s false anti-Chinese racist remark, is a sign of a lethargic administration detached from the public that would hurt BN politically. UMNO believes that Malaysians, including non-Malays and moderate Malays, will still blindly support BN despite their failure to punish Ismail Sabri Yaakob for his false and racist remark to boycott Chinese traders for failing to reduce prices and that Malays are oppressed by the Chinese.
At the same time, BN must have made their political calculation that they will get more Malay votes without losing non-Malay votes, by being racist and extremist in their views and even discriminate against non-Malays. Of course a weak MCA President in Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai did not help. Former MCA President Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek is correct when he criticised Liow as not only weak but also deceitful, when Liow claimed that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak understood MCA’s position.
However Liow’s deceit and weakness was proven when the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement defending Ismail Sabri instead of reprimanding him as implied by Liow. Worse, Defence Minister Hishamuddin Tun Hussein Onn revealed that both Liow and his deputy Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong did not raise in Cabinet for Ismail Sabri to retract his untruthful and racist statement, apologise or resign from Cabinet.
And many non-Malays and moderate Malays do not understand why Liow still posed for photographs smiling broadly with Ismail after the Cabinet meeting if MCA is genuinely so angry with Ismail’s false and racist slur against the Chinese. This is a classic case of saying something in public but doing the complete opposite inside Cabinet. Can Liow and Wee Ka Siong explain why they have now overlooked Ismail’s racist anti-Chinese remark?
The Chinese community are angry and hurt that they are blamed for something they are not responsible for. However the Chinese community will react peacefully and rationally as well as remember this racist lies by UMNO for a long time to come. The Chinese community will also not forget the betrayal of both Gerakan and MCA Ministers in Cabinet for not daring to speak up for justice and voice their sorrows for them in Cabinet.