In today’s Sin Chew Jit Poh, it was reported that BN may not filed a candidate in the Bukit Gelugor by election. The report says that it was learned that BN Secretary General Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan and MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had met to discuss on the issue.
The report also says that according to sources, one of the factors that may cause MCA not to field a candidate in the by election is due to MCA grassroots ‘ feeling that that it will be a way to show their respect to the late Karpal Singh’s for his strong stand against hudud implementation.
It is good that MCA grassroots respect Karpal Singh, the great DAP fighter who passed away on April 17. It is also MCA’s right whether they want to field a candidate in the upcoming Bukit Gelugor by election. They can even filed a proxy if they wish.
However, I must warn MCA not to “use and exploit “Karpal‘s name for their political purpose.
Over the last two weeks, MCA has been spreading lies and falsehoods against the DAP on the hudud controversy. Among the lies was that Karpal was the only one who could truly oppose hudud law.
Such portrayal of Karpal as the only real and brave hero was a political tactic to run down the present DAP leadership. But is this the truth?
What Karpal had always spoken up has always been the DAP’s stand – that Islamic state formation and hudud implementation are unconstitutional and are not suitable for a plural Malaysia.
DAP has many times reiterated this stand and yet MCA, in its eagerness to see an early disintegration of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, has been spreading falsehoods and lies against the DAP.
If MCA leaders are afraid of losing in the Bukit Gelugor and thus weaken their justification to rejoin the Cabinet, they should find a better excuse and not to respect for as the excuse.
If MCA leaders truly respect Karpal Singh, then they should not only become real fighters like Karpal Singh in championing the people’s interest, they must not “use” Karpal against the DAP — the party that Karpal had joined in 1970 and whose cause he had selflessly served.