NONEOpen bickering within Pakatan Rakyat is a healthy habit for it keeps the coalition united, according to Parti Keadilan Rakyat Batu Parliament Member Tian Chua (right).

"The more we fight, the longer we stay together. People of different race, religion and ideology can sit together," said Chua in response to a question from a participant at a student leaders forum held yesterday afternoon .

He added that they could opt for closed-door discussions but that's not transparent enough for the Pakatan.

Khairy Jamaluddin, Barisan Nasional MP for Rembau ‘s immediate response was, "I would like to use this reason on my wife because when we fight, we'll stay together longer."

Both, invited in their capacity as parliamentarians, traded the remarks during a Q&A session on the theme, Vision For Malaysia: Road Towards Greater Political Maturity at the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit held in Kuala Lumpur.

Changing to mature politics

Chua in his presentation on mature politics stated that the governing parties and opposition parties "must treat the rakyat as responsible and mature people, to have mature politics in Malaysia.
He dismissed the notion that people are not mature enough as a negative view because the more the freedom the higher the sense of responsibility which the people will be driven to cultivate.

NONEKhairy (right) who spoke later on the same theme maintained that Umno has shown the desire to embrace change as a result of the 2008 election.

"You cannot ignore change, if you do then you are stupid. That's why (premier) Najib (Abdul Razak) initiated change," he said, adding that there are still certain quarters within the party in resistence mood, but did not elaborate.

ISA to Utusan

Participants fielded questions on a variety of current political issues, mostly targeting Khairy.

Internal Security Act

Chua: It was meant to detain communists and terrorists but the government did not detain communists because the communists were in the jungle. It is a tool used only to detain opposition leaders

Khairy: We need security. I cannot accept my friend's view that ISA is only used against political opponents. Terrorists such as Mat Selamat, Jemaah Islamiyah and Al-Maunah have been detained in the past.

Internet censorship

Chua: We don't need censorship as we are mature.

Khairy: What do you want to do on with child pornography? You can't be too cynical. I know that BN and Umno is uncool to you. You tend to see the worst in the government.

NEP & 1Malaysia

In response to another question on the contradiction posed between New Economic Policy (NEP) and 1Malaysia, Khairy said that the NEP is aimed at creating a poverty-free society and eradication of racial identity based on economic activities while 1Malaysia is to unite the people.

"Not everyone (Malays) who benefitted from NEP is an Umno card carrying member."

Beer controversy

He also emphasised the need for politics of empathy when commenting on Selangor exco, Ronnie Liu instructing enforcement officers to return confiscated beer.

"Ronnie Liu may have been right in law in returning the beer but was not empathic where the sensitivities of the Malay staff of the enforcement unit was concerned."

In response to suggestions that Umno become a multi-racial party, Chua said that if that were to happen the party would lose and be pushed into the opposition.

NONE"They should lose and become opposition and then they would come back stronger. They would learn better the hard way."

He added that Pakatan will only have five years if the coalition fails to live up to the expectation of the rakyat.

Khairy rejected Chua's view since Umno ‘already has a bloody nose and a black eye'. He added that the people will be ones to decide who has changed the most in the next general election.

Responding to another question from the floor on the Utusan Malaysia controversy where the newspaper described Malays as being cowards for not standing up to the PAS and the DAP, Khairy said, "Umno is the boss not Utusan. Look at the middle path decision of the party and government before arriving at a judgement.