Clarify stand on other races, Mah tells Khairy
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin must make clear his stand on other communities in a multiracial and multicultural Malaysia, said Gerakan Youth chief Datuk Mah Siew Keong.
“We know KJ’s stand in Umno. But in a multiracial country, we want to know his stand towards other communities,” he said.
Mah said the wing needed to know Khairy’s stand to decide if it could work and cooperate with him in future.
He noted that Gerakan was a non-racial party and it was important for the wing to know Khairy’s views.
“We don’t want a hero for one community only,” Mah told a press conference at the 19th Gerakan Youth and Wanita national delegates conference yesterday.
Khairy was reported to have said that Umno must stand united or else other communities would take advantage to make demands.
On whether Khairy should apologise, Mah said: “I am looking at the future. We need to know his position towards other communities. He has to state his stand clearly.”
Earlier in his speech, Mah said a real hero was one who was a hero to all communities in the country.
“If you need to play racist sentiments for yourself, you are not a hero,” he added.
“It is good to fight for your own community but it should not be at the expense of other communities.”
Mah noted that there were times when Gerakan Youth disagreed with Umno leaders but they could still sit together to discuss issues in line with the spirit of Barisan Nasional.
He said they must understand history and not take the past for granted, adding: “We must also not take our future for granted.”
Mah also hit out at those who had been attacking Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon by demanding his resignation as Penang Water Corporation chairman.
“It is rude and unbecoming of a Barisan leader. Don’t just be a hero in the papers,” he said.
“We are trying to move forward but it looks like some of our leaders are behaving like ‘L’ drivers and using the reverse gear instead.
“We have gone into first gear and have moved on to fourth, but we have leaders who are in reverse gear. I think they need more driving lessons,” he added.
On implementation of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, Mah said red tape, corruption and inefficiency must be eradicated.
He cited an instance of a consortium that was given a monopoly to conduct pest control work despite it having no experience at all.
He said another example was a civil servant who had been making a lot of mistakes in his work but got promoted.
“This may sound like a joke, but it did happen. All these people must be punished and sacked,” he said.
Wanita chief Datuk Tan Lian Hoe said certain quarters should not raise issues that would cause unhappiness among Barisan component members.
“They must respect the Barisan set-up and not only Umno,” she said.
The people must reject leaders who were willing to sacrifice the country’s peace and harmony for their own gains, she added.
Tan also expressed concern that the spat between former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could be taken advantaged of, by not just the opposition but also Barisan component members.
“As such, the two leaders should take steps to resolve their differences immediately,” she added.
“We know KJ’s stand in Umno. But in a multiracial country, we want to know his stand towards other communities,” he said.
Mah said the wing needed to know Khairy’s stand to decide if it could work and cooperate with him in future.
He noted that Gerakan was a non-racial party and it was important for the wing to know Khairy’s views.
“We don’t want a hero for one community only,” Mah told a press conference at the 19th Gerakan Youth and Wanita national delegates conference yesterday.
Khairy was reported to have said that Umno must stand united or else other communities would take advantage to make demands.
On whether Khairy should apologise, Mah said: “I am looking at the future. We need to know his position towards other communities. He has to state his stand clearly.”
Earlier in his speech, Mah said a real hero was one who was a hero to all communities in the country.
“If you need to play racist sentiments for yourself, you are not a hero,” he added.
“It is good to fight for your own community but it should not be at the expense of other communities.”
Mah noted that there were times when Gerakan Youth disagreed with Umno leaders but they could still sit together to discuss issues in line with the spirit of Barisan Nasional.
He said they must understand history and not take the past for granted, adding: “We must also not take our future for granted.”
Mah also hit out at those who had been attacking Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon by demanding his resignation as Penang Water Corporation chairman.
“It is rude and unbecoming of a Barisan leader. Don’t just be a hero in the papers,” he said.
“We are trying to move forward but it looks like some of our leaders are behaving like ‘L’ drivers and using the reverse gear instead.
“We have gone into first gear and have moved on to fourth, but we have leaders who are in reverse gear. I think they need more driving lessons,” he added.
On implementation of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, Mah said red tape, corruption and inefficiency must be eradicated.
He cited an instance of a consortium that was given a monopoly to conduct pest control work despite it having no experience at all.
He said another example was a civil servant who had been making a lot of mistakes in his work but got promoted.
“This may sound like a joke, but it did happen. All these people must be punished and sacked,” he said.
Wanita chief Datuk Tan Lian Hoe said certain quarters should not raise issues that would cause unhappiness among Barisan component members.
“They must respect the Barisan set-up and not only Umno,” she said.
The people must reject leaders who were willing to sacrifice the country’s peace and harmony for their own gains, she added.
Tan also expressed concern that the spat between former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could be taken advantaged of, by not just the opposition but also Barisan component members.
“As such, the two leaders should take steps to resolve their differences immediately,” she added.
posted by SEE FU at 8:06 PM
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