Chua Soi Lek and the BN's lack of class

MCA president Chua Soi Lek's use of crude and vulgar language has hit a raw nerve with both his political foes and members of the public. Recently, the scandal-tainted Soi Lek used the F-word repeatedly on Twitter, addressing to the "mother", "father", "brother" and even "sister" of several people who tweeted to him.

The reason or reasons why the former Health minister sank to such low behavior is not known. Soi Lek has not seen fit to give any explanation or to apologize for his shocking behavior.

Just as he saw no reason why the MCA need not apologize to Malaysians for the conduct of two past leaders Ling Liong Sik and Chan Kong Choy who were accused of cheating in the PKFZ debacle that has caused taxpayers to lose billions of ringgit.

"MCA is very unfortunate to have Chua Soi Lek as its president. His language and behavior does not suit his office," PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad told Malaysia Chronicle.

Meanwhile, pundits and members of the public alike say that Twitter and Facebook are social media that belong in the public domain and Soi Lek must recognize this or refrain from using these tools of communication.

"Logically, one should filter one's words before putting it up for public viewing," was a response from one commentator to Soi Lek's barrage of the F-word.

"Malaysia is already the world's laughing stock due to the fact that while it aims to be a first world nation, many of the BN leaders are really third class or no class at all. And the Information minister Rais Yatim talks about censoring the Net for pornographic material. If he does, the first target must be Chua Soi Lek and the second himself!"

No class

Given its past record, perhaps it is not unfair to accuse the BN of not having any 'class'.

This is not the first time Soi Lek has embroiled himself in an issue filled with sexual innuendoes. Rais was accused of raping his Indonesian maid but has denied doing so. Former MIC leader Samy Vellu gained notoriety by comparing women to lavatories, and an Umno MP Bung Mokhtar Radin actually used the word 'bocor' or burst during Parliamentary debates to describe women's menstruation.

In 2007, Soi Lek was caught on video tape having sex with his mistress and the clip shown on You Tube. The scandal forced him to resign but MCA members gave him a second chance in 2010. So far, he has repaid the party by nominating his son Tee Yong to be a deputy minister, sparking angers and accusations of nepotism from MCA grassroots.

Now in his bid to be a 'macho man', he is being called upon to apologize for his lack of finesse. Already, there are rumblings within and outside the party that 'the fish starts rotting from its head'.

"Chua Soi Lek has shown himself to be a very rough person. His manner is not refined and vulgar speech is definitely not acceptable. This is a very bad example of Chinese leadership," Ong Boon Piow, DAP assemblyman for Tebing Tinggi, told Malaysia Chronicle. - Malaysia Chronicle