Will MCA Youth leader Liow Tiong Lai and Gerakan Youth leader Mah Siew Keong first apologise to Khairy for “misinterpreting” his statements and speeches before they go down to their grassroots to be the Umno Youth deputy leader’s spokesman to defend him?

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Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Wednesday) :  Malaysians were treated to  a new genus of political drama at the media conference of all the Barisan Nasional Youth leaders after the three-hour  Barisan Nasional Youth Council meeting yesterday.

Today’s Utusan Malaysia, with the headline “Mesyuarat Pemuda BN puas hati penjelasan Khairy”, reported:

“Mesyuarat Pemuda Barisan Nasional (BN) hari ini berpuas hati penjelasan Naib Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO, Khairy Jamaluddin berhubung kenyataannya mengenai kaum Cina dalam satu ucapannya di Kedah, dua bulan lalu.

“Pengerusi Pemuda BN, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein berkata, kesemua pemimpin Pemuda BN mengambil pendirian bahawa kenyataan itu telah disalah tafsir hingga menyebabkan timbul rasa kurang senang di kalangan pihak tertentu negara ini.”

Berita Harian, with the headline, “Pemuda BN akur penjelasan Khairy”, reported:

“Pemimpin Pemuda Barisan Nasional (BN), menerima dan berpuas hati dengan penjelasan Naib Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaluddin berhubung kenyataannya yang disalah tafsir hingga mengguris hati masyarakat Cina.

”Ketua Pemuda BN, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, berkata sejajar penerimaan itu, semua barisan Pemuda BN akan memberi penjelasan kepada exco masing-masing untuk dimaklumkan ke peringkat akar umbi.”

Another Utusan Malaysia report, “Pemuda MCA, Gerakan akan buat penjelasan”, said:

“Pemuda MCA akan membuat penjelasan hingga ke peringkat akar umbi berhubung isu berkaitan kenyataan Naib Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO, Khairy Jamaluddin.

“Ketuanya, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai berkata, usaha itu perlu dilakukan segera supaya ia dapat menjelaskan segala kekeliruan yang timbul sebelum ini.

Beliau berkata, dalam mesyuarat hari ini semua pihak telah dimaklumkan bahawa kekeliruan yang timbul adalah disebabkan salah tafsir oleh pihak-pihak tertentu.

‘‘’Kita akur dengan arahan dikeluarkan pada mesyuarat hari ini. Sebagai parti komponen yang membentuk Barisan Nasional, Pemuda MCA komited melaksanakan tugas ini.’”

There are three questions from this extraordinary turn of events:

Firstly, Will MCA Youth leader Datuk Liow Tiong Lai and  Gerakan Youth leader Datuk Mah Siew Keong first  apologise to  Khairy for “misinterpreting” his statements and speeches before they go down to their  grassroots to be the Umno Youth deputy leader’s spokesman to defend him?

Secondly, wasn’t the BN Youth meeting and media  conference yesterday the latest and most concrete proof of the very advanced stage of  marginalization of MCA and Gerakan in the Barisan Nasional for three  reasons:

(i)                 Instead of carrying out the mandate of the MCA  Youth and Gerakan Youth general assemblies to demand apology from Khairy, the MCA Youth and Gerakan Youth leaders have to admit that Khairy was in fact the wronged party being the victim of “misinterpretation”;

(ii)               At the media conference conducted by the Hishammuddin, both Mah and Low were treated as puppets and not allowed to say a single word. Hishammuddin said it was his conference, he was chairing the meeting and he would be the one answering the questions. Was it the media  conference of the BN Youth leaders or Hishammuddin’s personal media conference. If the latter, what was Low and Mah doing there and if the former, why were they not allowed to open their mouths? Clearly it was not a meeting of equals, but  of boss   and subordinates.

(iii)             As a result, Low and Mah had to subsequently hold another media conference marginal to the main one held by Hishammuddin – with various excuses and explanations which Umno Youth leaders were not bothered about as both MCA Youth and Gerakan Youth leaders had earlier fully endorsed Hishammuddin’s version with their presence. 

Thirdly, as MCA Youth and Gerakan Youth had been full of “fire and brimstone” during their recent general assemblies condemning Khairy and demanding an apology for his provocative and racist statements and speeches, will both MCA Youth and Gerakan Youth convene emergency general assemblies to (i) endorse their youth leaders’ about-turn to be Khairy’s  spokesman and defender as agreed at the Barisan Nasional Youth meeting yesterday; or (ii) repudiate their youth leaders for betraying and reneging the very clear mandate given to them? 

(04/10/2006)