NATIONALISTIC UMNO Youth chief has hit back at DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok by retreating that respecting the court’s decision does not one has to agree with the decision.
This friction came about after the six-term Seputeh MP slammed the Merlimau state assemblyman alongside UMNO’s supreme council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi against opposing the unbanning of the trilingual comic book Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism by former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau a.k.a. Superman Hew.
The revocation was carried in a federal government gazette dated Aug 12 based on an order signed by Saifuddin dated Aug 6. Putrajaya had on Dec 8, 2022 failed to get leave from the Federal Court to reinstate a ban on the comic book.
“That is why we ask the government to apply for a review of the court’s decision in line with the existing powers of the Federal Court under the Federal Court Rules 1995 given this issue is so sensitive among the Malays in this country,” the Melaka state EXCO for rural development, agriculture and food security penned on his Facebook page.
“So, if Teresa Kok doesn’t understand what I meant, let me know so I can draw it out or even translate it in Chinese.”
In a statement posted on her Facebook page yesterday (Aug 15), Kok had urged both Akmal and Puad to respect judicial independence and court decisions instead of continuing to call on the unity government to violate court orders and “try to return to the thinking of an authoritarian government”.
“We should discard the old way of thinking which is full of division and fear, and to look at history from a more open and rational point of view,” she opined.
“National development needs to be built on the basis of inclusivity, openness and the rule of law. This is to ensure that Malaysia moves towards democracy and openness instead of suppressing different opinions and the right of expression to maintain power.”
But the DAP lawmaker’s view does not resonate with Akmal who chided her that “if we’ve an authoritarian mindset, you can’t even sit and be a MP in this country!”
“Respect the rights of the majority populace before you speak so as to respect your right to freedom of speech,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Puad who is also the Johor state assembly speaker reiterated Hew’s comic book as “fine needles to revive Communism”.
“I want to ask Teresa Kok. What does she mean by looking at history from a more open and rational point of view? Can history be changed?” he asserted in a Facebook post.
“How can we forget the cruelty of Bintang 3 (the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army) and the Bukit Kepong event? The wounds remain to this day and into the future. That means exist in the past, exist today and exist in the future.” – Aug 15, 2024
