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Media Conference       
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Tuesday) : I have sent an urgent fax to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi highlighting three issues which the Cabinet must address tomorrow - the racist and sexist conduct of Barisan Nasional (BN) Ministers and MPs and support of the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin’s exemplary conduct on moderation and simplicity by launching a nation-wide campaign to slash  government extravagance and ostentatious ceremony. 

The three  issues which I conveyed to the Prime Minister are: 

1. The complaint by third-year CalyPoly Biotech Malaysian student Sheena Moorthy of the disgraceful conduct of the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Seri Dr. Jamaludin Jarjis in making racist and derogatory remarks about Malaysian Indians when he met Malaysian students in Los Angeles, California a fortnight ago on 30th April.

I had raised this issue in Parliament last week and Sheena had emailed complaints to the Prime Minister and various Cabinet Ministers, including MIC President and Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu but she has not received a single reply as if the Malaysian Cabinet and Government is totally IT-illiterate in this era of instant communications. Furthermore, Jamaluddin has yet to make a public apology for his “totally uncalled-for racial insults” to Sheena at a public meeting in Los Angeles. 

2. The derogatory, crude, vulgar, sexist and gender-offensive remarks by the two BN MPs, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) in the Dewan Rakyat last week, bringing shame and dishonour to Islam Hadhari, Parliament, Malaysian women and Malaysia’s international image and  reputation. Apart from punishing the two sexist BN MPs, the Cabinet should come out with a public apology to Parliament, Malaysian women and the nation for the disgraceful and disreputable episode which had  attracted a new round of negative international publicity for the country.

3. Support of the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin’s exemplary conduct on moderation and simplicity by launching a nation-wide campaign to slash government extravagance and ostentatious ceremony. Raja Nazrin has shown exemplary modesty and rectitude, wanting only a a simple royal wedding with Zara Salim Davidson and declining to accept state-allocated funds, as well as advising the Perak state government to spend the money instead for the development of the people and to companies and individuals to channel their funds meant for newspaper advertisements for charity and the people’s welfare. This should remind the Cabinet of the Prime Minister’s forgotten directive in November 2003 to government departments and agencies to be simple and modest and to slash elaborate ceremonies and lavish functions, especially when a Minister, the Prime Minister or the Rulers are present.

(15/5/2007)