'White pow': PM should admonish Perkasa, says DAP
Published: Feb 2, 2012 3:30 PM | Updated: Feb 2, 2012 4:57 PM
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s apparent nonchalant attitude towards Perkasa’s ‘ang pow’ blunder proves that Umno supports the controversial Malay rights pressure group, says DAP.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s apparent nonchalant attitude towards Perkasa’s ‘ang pow’ blunder proves that Umno supports the controversial Malay rights pressure group, says DAP.
Its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Najib had refused to condemn Perkasa over the gaffe and thus by extension support the group’s “racist” objectives.
He said Umno and Perkasa’s antics were a sharp contrast to opposition party PAS, which respects the religious and cultural sensitivities of the Chinese community.
“PAS leaders not only distributed ‘ang pow’, mandarin oranges and Chinese New Year cards to market traders but also to a pork seller, with his pork openly displayed.
“Will Umno leader have a green lion dance performance or do what PAS leaders have done?” asked Lim in a statement today.
Lim was commenting on Perkasa’s Chinese New Year function on Jan 29, which saw the group’s leader Ibrahim Ali dishing out RM10 in white envelopes.
Although the 300-odd recipients didn’t seem to mind, critics pointed out that the act of handing out white envelopes was reserved solely for funerals, according to Chinese culture.
MCA ‘equally guilty’
On his Chinese Facebook page, Najib said his administration does not accept Perkasa’s actions, but stops short of criticising the group.
Meanwhile, Lim also criticised MCA for failing to take action against its Seputeh division chief Tiew Chew Ming (right), who was present at the Perkasa function.
Lim said MCA was as “equally guilty” as Umno, because Tiew was assisting Perkasa by ferrying elderly citizens to the event.
Tiew had clarified that he had brought members of a welfare group to the event on an ad hoc basis to allow them to partake in the festivities.
However, he was suddenly asked to come on stage to translate Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali’s speech during the event. He stressed that he does not endorse the contents of the speech.
Its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Najib had refused to condemn Perkasa over the gaffe and thus by extension support the group’s “racist” objectives.
He said Umno and Perkasa’s antics were a sharp contrast to opposition party PAS, which respects the religious and cultural sensitivities of the Chinese community.
“PAS leaders not only distributed ‘ang pow’, mandarin oranges and Chinese New Year cards to market traders but also to a pork seller, with his pork openly displayed.
“Will Umno leader have a green lion dance performance or do what PAS leaders have done?” asked Lim in a statement today. Lim was commenting on Perkasa’s Chinese New Year function on Jan 29, which saw the group’s leader Ibrahim Ali dishing out RM10 in white envelopes.
Although the 300-odd recipients didn’t seem to mind, critics pointed out that the act of handing out white envelopes was reserved solely for funerals, according to Chinese culture.
MCA ‘equally guilty’
On his Chinese Facebook page, Najib said his administration does not accept Perkasa’s actions, but stops short of criticising the group.
Meanwhile, Lim also criticised MCA for failing to take action against its Seputeh division chief Tiew Chew Ming (right), who was present at the Perkasa function. Lim said MCA was as “equally guilty” as Umno, because Tiew was assisting Perkasa by ferrying elderly citizens to the event.
Tiew had clarified that he had brought members of a welfare group to the event on an ad hoc basis to allow them to partake in the festivities.
However, he was suddenly asked to come on stage to translate Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali’s speech during the event. He stressed that he does not endorse the contents of the speech.
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