A BERSATU Supreme Council member has lambasted Ipoh Timor MP Howard Lee for implying that former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin lacked wisdom when commenting on the government’s South China Sea policy.
In a statement, Dr Muhammad Faiz Na’aman took offense that Lee had implied the Perikatan Nasional chairman was either “bodoh” (unintelligent) or pretending to be “bodoh” on international relations by criticising Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s stance on the topic.
“Perhaps from the perspective of young and ultra-liberal DAP MPs like Howard Lee, sensitive issues such as the South China Sea need not be emphasised on grounds that we are dealing with China – an economic power – and we need to take care of their feelings,” Dr Faiz said.
“Are the diplomatic efforts, trade relations and history of this region with China since the time of the Malacca sultanate insufficient? Do we need to be soft if our rights are being violated or threatened?”
On April 7, the Bersatu president had rebuked Anwar for making purportedly “careless” remarks on the South China Sea, which is the centre of territorial disputes between several countries.
This comes after the Prime Minister said Beijing had expressed concern over Petronas’ activities in an area of the South China Sea which was being claimed by China.
Anwar had said Putrajaya was open to negotiate with Beijing “if China feels this is their right”.
In a statement, Muhyiddin claimed Anwar had indirectly acknowledged China’s claim on an area that officially belonged to Malaysia, adding that Malaysia’s territory must be defended.
In his defence of Anwar, Lee said that Muhyiddin might be lacking in wisdom as a former prime minister if he did not understand that the current prime minister was referring to meetings and arbitrations to rectify or escalate tensions over contentious diplomatic issues such as the South China Sea.
In support of Muhyiddin, Dr Faiz asserted that no other ASEAN leaders had used the word “negotiate” in response to China’s claim to the South China Sea despite China’s strong diplomatic and trade ties with the region.
“It is therefore unsurprising that Anwar was labelled ‘weak’ by Muhyiddin on this matter. I would also like to ask if Anwar tried acting soft with China when the whole country knows which external power supported him during the Reformasi era,” Dr Faiz asserted.
“I hope [Anwar] is not hypocritical when facing other countries as Malaysians are already sick of his many U-turns while going against his own principles and promises.”
Dr Faiz further pointed out that it was unnecessary for Lee to use derogatory language towards the opposition as it was the opposition’s responsibility to deliver criticism especially in a democratic country. – April 10, 2023
