MB’s aide explains why Umno is crass

Its members revel in gutter politics because they are ignorant of true issues, says Faekah Husin.

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor Menteri Besar’s office today launched a blistering attack against Umno members objecting to a plan to build hostels for foreign workers.

Faekah Husin, the Menteri Besar’s political secretary, said Umno’s “gutter politics” was the result of ignorance and a “low class” mentality.

She was reacting to statements made on Wednesday during a protest against the plan. The demonstrators represented Umno Youth and MCA.

Umno Youth’s Arman Azha Abu Hanifah, who was among the protesters, said Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had “prostituted himself” in deciding to set aside land in Petaling Jaya for foreigners when Malaysians were having a hard time finding affordable accommodation in the city.

Faekah said Umno members had shown once again that “the party revels in dirty, gutter politics while being completely ignorant of the true issues”.

She said the hostels were part of a plan to regulate the state’s migrant worker population and would prevent the formation of squatter colonies.

Quoting research, she also said that “properly maintained centres could prevent potential abuse by unscrupulous employers or by corrupt officers from law enforcement agencies”.

She said Umno had no right to criticise the plan when it was creating enclaves for more than 200,000 foreign workers in Johor’s Iskandar region.

“If BN members have a problem with this policy, perhaps they should look at their own state governments first,” she said.