Kit Siang dares Liow to reject cabinet posts
Published: May 12, 2014 5:00 PM | Updated: May 12, 2014 5:28 PM
It is an open secret that Liow Tiong Lai wants a cabinet position, which he had to forego in the past when MCA decided not to accept such appointments following its dismal failure in the last general election.
But since then, he has become the president and an extraordinary general meeting had voted in favour of MCA taking up the positions on the grounds that the party can serve the Chinese community more effectively.
Seemingly putting a spanner in the works, however, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has asked Liow if he is prepared to reject the speculated three minister and five deputy minister positions.
It is an open secret that Liow Tiong Lai wants a cabinet position, which he had to forego when MCA decided not to accept such appointments following its dismal performance in the last general election.
But since then, he has become the president and an extraordinary general meeting had voted in favour of MCA taking up the positions on the grounds that the party can serve the Chinese community more effectively.
Seemingly putting a spanner in the works, however, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has asked Liow if he is prepared to reject the speculated three minister and five deputy minister positions.
In fact, Lim challenged his political rival to make a stand that MCA would not accept the appointments until Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak retracts his statement that the government is not opposed to the implementation of the hudud.
"Are Liow and the MCA leadership prepared to take an uncompromising stand to defend the consensus principle of BN where Umno cannot unilaterally decide in the name of the other 12 component parties?" he asked in a statement.
Apart from this, Lim also questioned the MCA president and his top brass on their failure to repudiate Najib's announcement that the federal government never rejected hudud.
"Why (has) Liow and the MCA leadership failed to requisition for an emergency BN supreme council meeting to reaffirm the erstwhile BN policy that its federal government rejects hudud.
"Umno would be easily outvoted on this issue, as at least 11 if not 12 of the 13 BN component parties would have rejected such a policy change – even if Umno is solidly behind the policy change," he added.
'Big brother' Umno upset
Lim also asked if a vexed Umno had arm-twisted MCA into "eating its own words in less than 24 hours" after initially claiming that it was sitting out of the Bukit Gelugor by-election in order to focus on the hudud controversy.
After stating that its decision was to defend the Federal Constitution with regard to the Hudud Bill, MCA later claimed that it was because the party saw no chance of winning the seat.
"Isn't it true that MCA's earlier reason for staying out of the Bukit Gelugor by-election – to focus on the hudud issue – has deeply offended the Umno 'big brother...?
"(And this has) forced the MCA leadership to 'flip-flop' on its reason as Liow faced the risks of losing the three MCA ministers and five deputy ministers which Najib dangled before him if he disregarded Umno sensitivities?" he asked.
He said that if MCA cannot even say that it is sitting out Bukit Gelugor because of the hudud, then its ministers are unlikely to stand by their principles in cabinet.
Lim also described MCA and BN's decision not to contest in the Bukit Gelugor by-election as the "worst political cowardice" in the 57-year electoral history of Malaysia.
However, the veteran DAP leader also warned that there could be a hidden agenda.
Lim said it could be to lull DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders, members, supporters and voters of Bukit Gelugor into complacency.
"So as to cause the lowest voter turnout in the constituency, and consequently to reduce the humongous majority of 41,778 votes won by Karpal Singh last May.
"Last year, the voter turnout for Bukit Gelugor was the historic high of 85.35 percent," he added.
Lim called on voters not to fall into this trap, saying that the Bukit Gelugor and the Teluk Intan by-elections were two important milestones in the post-GE13 political struggle.
But since then, he has become the president and an extraordinary general meeting had voted in favour of MCA taking up the positions on the grounds that the party can serve the Chinese community more effectively.
Seemingly putting a spanner in the works, however, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has asked Liow if he is prepared to reject the speculated three minister and five deputy minister positions.In fact, Lim challenged his political rival to make a stand that MCA would not accept the appointments until Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak retracts his statement that the government is not opposed to the implementation of the hudud.
"Are Liow and the MCA leadership prepared to take an uncompromising stand to defend the consensus principle of BN where Umno cannot unilaterally decide in the name of the other 12 component parties?" he asked in a statement.
Apart from this, Lim also questioned the MCA president and his top brass on their failure to repudiate Najib's announcement that the federal government never rejected hudud.
"Why (has) Liow and the MCA leadership failed to requisition for an emergency BN supreme council meeting to reaffirm the erstwhile BN policy that its federal government rejects hudud.
"Umno would be easily outvoted on this issue, as at least 11 if not 12 of the 13 BN component parties would have rejected such a policy change – even if Umno is solidly behind the policy change," he added.
'Big brother' Umno upset
Lim also asked if a vexed Umno had arm-twisted MCA into "eating its own words in less than 24 hours" after initially claiming that it was sitting out of the Bukit Gelugor by-election in order to focus on the hudud controversy.After stating that its decision was to defend the Federal Constitution with regard to the Hudud Bill, MCA later claimed that it was because the party saw no chance of winning the seat.
"Isn't it true that MCA's earlier reason for staying out of the Bukit Gelugor by-election – to focus on the hudud issue – has deeply offended the Umno 'big brother...?
"(And this has) forced the MCA leadership to 'flip-flop' on its reason as Liow faced the risks of losing the three MCA ministers and five deputy ministers which Najib dangled before him if he disregarded Umno sensitivities?" he asked.
He said that if MCA cannot even say that it is sitting out Bukit Gelugor because of the hudud, then its ministers are unlikely to stand by their principles in cabinet.
Lim also described MCA and BN's decision not to contest in the Bukit Gelugor by-election as the "worst political cowardice" in the 57-year electoral history of Malaysia.
However, the veteran DAP leader also warned that there could be a hidden agenda.
Lim said it could be to lull DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders, members, supporters and voters of Bukit Gelugor into complacency.
"So as to cause the lowest voter turnout in the constituency, and consequently to reduce the humongous majority of 41,778 votes won by Karpal Singh last May.
"Last year, the voter turnout for Bukit Gelugor was the historic high of 85.35 percent," he added.
Lim called on voters not to fall into this trap, saying that the Bukit Gelugor and the Teluk Intan by-elections were two important milestones in the post-GE13 political struggle.
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