vox populi small thumbnail'We can differentiate between earnest efforts to help the rakyat and knee-jerk reactions by politicians to butter up the voters at every by-election.'

Shaking hands: How some Tenang Chinese feel

TKC: Based on this mini-survey, it looks like MCA chief Chua Soi Lek is the only person who has a problem with the trivial matter of Normala Sudirman not shaking hands or shaking hands with gloves on.

Malaysiasakit: Never underestimate the voters' intelligence. We are underachievers in political awareness but we are not retards. We can differentiate between earnest efforts to help the rakyat and knee-jerk reactions by politicians to butter up the voters at every ‘buy-election'. Truth be told, MCA is in trouble.

Swipenter: It is quite clear that the Umno/BN politicians only show their faces during election time or if they want your votes. Thereafter they are too busy recouping their "investments" or is too lazy, like the Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah, to be bothered with you.

See what the Chinese think of MCA in Tenang with this little informal survey? Not even two good words about them. PAS, please read between the lines what the Chinese are saying. The Chinese like you for your righteousness but is afraid of your self-righteousness.

Anonymous_408d: I do not support the concept of Malaysia turning into an Islamic state as desired by PAS. They will take away our civil and social liberties. You can count on that. And that does not go down well with me and the majority of the people.

But I see no harm or insult in Normala wearing gloves when shaking hands with men. That is her choice. She is doing it to preserve the way she practices her religion. In fact, considering that she has to meet so many people and shake so many hands, it is actually sensible, as a matter of hygiene, to wear gloves.

Not a concept that many would support, but it isn't wrong. Even the staff at the many tolls that dot our city's landscape, should wear gloves as they are exposed to the germs brought to them by the thousands of drivers who hand them money for the toll.

Pikachiu: I think we should be more worried about the Umno brand of Islamisation - it will Islamise the country without you knowing it.

More chapters on Islam in our kids' history textbooks; the judiciary's refusal to rule objectively according to the constitution on matters relating to Islam; certain states imposing rules making life difficult to pig farmers and pork traders and things considered non-halal; authority's closed-one-eye attitude on matters affecting non-Muslim's rights; Muslim religious authorities' seemingly unfettered power in custodianship matters involving Muslims and non-Muslims... the list is endless.

And MCA is part of the ruling coalition. Isn't MCA also guilty by association? How different is Umno compared to PAS? At least, PAS has more integrity and principle.


Muhyiddin ticks off MCA on 'shake hands' issue

Pants on Fire: Muhyiddin Yassin, you are a Muslim and you don't know the reasons why Normala Sudirman doesn't shake men's hands?

He said BN shouldn't play up the issue, but did not say MCA shouldn't do it. After all, it was only the MCA that's using it in campaigns. Muhyiddin suddenly realised that even the Chinese, let alone Malaysia, are disgusted with Chua Soi Lek playing up the issue. They might have lost a couple of thousand votes because of this.

Tailek: The DPM is not sincere on this matter. All he said is that it is up to Normala and she may have her own personal reasons for not shaking hands, but he would leave it to the voters to judge. His comment still has a sting in the tail.

What he should have done is chastise MCA and Chua and said that it is perfectly okay for a Muslim woman not to shake hands with a male (not a relative) irrespective of whether that male is a Muslim or a non-Muslim.

Ketuanan Rakyat: It is clear now - MCA's attack on PAS on the 'shake hands' issue is reflecting badly on Umno's ability to maintain its support among Muslims. Neither would MCA have increased its Chinese support with this stupid tactic. There are many more important issues which Umnoputras should answer for.

Phra Ong Chao: Muhyiddin is only reprimanding MCA a few days after they played up this issue because it is beginning to backfire on them. Otherwise, do you think this reprimand would ever have been issued?

Etok: Muhyiddin, awak orang Islam dan cara Normala Sudirman buat itu adalah bukan sebab dia hendak buat, tetapi Islam yang suruh buat. Pelik kan kamu, Muhyiddin. Orang mengaku Islam tetapi perkataan kamu macam bukan orang Islam.

Disgusted: If DAP had made such statement, you know what would have happened. Police reports would be made against them for insulting the Malay race, Islam and the king. The police would immediately summon the person to give a statement and release the person on bail with the intention of charging the DAP member in court.

BN people with their supporting NGOs will organise mass protests and stir up further trouble, including after Friday prayers and a march towards the palace to give a memorandum to the sultan to take action against the person if he is from the state of Johor or to ban the person from Johor if he is not. The sultan will then jump on the bandwagon to warn and rebuke to person.

Utusan Malaysia reporters will then start hyperventilating and spewing further hatred and revilement against non-Muslims with writers after writers spewing racist rhetoric through the mass media. All hell will break loose all because a DAP person had said that.

Anonymous123: Thirty-years ago, I got a serious back pain and went to see a Malay female doctor at the government hospital. At that time, I was quite disappointed that she tried to find out the cause of my pain using a pen instead of her fingers. I knew this was definitely not the right way of doing things but I accepted she was a Muslim woman and respect her for it.

I hope our politicians can be more mature now and not to campaign on non-issues like so and so won't shake hand with men. If our politicians can still have this type of mindset after 53 years independence, I don't think Malaysia can progress further.

Lusiapa: It's certainly a slap in the face for the MCA president for initiating such a foolhardy strategy. Instead of winning back the confidence of the Chinese electorate in this by-election, this ill-conceived stupidity seems to have the opposite effect.

What started off as a runaway for the BN may now turn out otherwise. An upset reminiscent of Sibu by-election is certainly not out of place if the component parties of Pakatan can pool their resources to maximum effect during the remaining days of campaigning.

Kongkek: What do you expect of someone who is morally corrupt like the MCA president? Once a thief always a thief. If the party leader is morally corrupt, so are his followers. To them not shaking hand is much more important than moral decay, corruption and executive abuse.

Atan-Toyol: Muhyiddin, your slap on the wrist came a bit too late. You should have done it on the day Chua made his headlines, so it can be reported in Utusan the next day, and the Internet the same day. But you did it only after seeing the many damaging comments from many people in the news portals.

Muhyiddin, what were you doing? Your religion Islam being ridiculed by your porn star friend, and you were happy with it because you thought it would earn many votes from the Chinese.

 

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