What regret, Perkasa still defiant: Comments aimed to exonerate Najib and MCA

In what appears to be another move by Umno and MCA to damage control, ultra Malay rights group Perkasa vowed never to distribute white ang-pows again but stopped of making a direct and full apology as demanded by many Chinese groups.

"It is just a publicity exercise to exonerate Prime Minister Najib Razak and MCA, which actually betrayed the Chinese community by rounding up senior citizens and practically 'selling' them off to Perkasa as gimmicks for the CNY publicity. It is the biggest joke and the greatest tragedy at the same time," PKR vice president Chua Soi Lek toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Indeed, Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali seemed more concerned to make it clear that Perkasa agreed with  Najib and MCA Youth that it was pertinent to understand the sensitivities of various cultures.

“We will heed by the prime minister’s comments on the ang pow issue. It is right that it should serve as a lesson to Perkasa and all parties to be more careful, so as not to touch the sensitivities of other cultures," Syed Hassan told reporters on Wednesday.

“Perkasa also respects and agrees with the comments made by MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong that any one race should be sensitive to other cultures. However, Perkasa hopes that it is not directed only at Perkasa but also at other race-based non-governmental organisations, where sometimes it is difficult for them to apologise.”

Still defiant

According to the Star, Perkasa  expressed regret that none of the Chinese guests and members of the media who were present that day had alerted Perkasa leaders that it was a taboo to give "white" ang pow during festive occasion.

"Now that we understand the sensitivities, we will not repeat the same mistake. It is a lesson for Perkasa to be more careful not to touch on the sensitivities of other races. And we also expect others to respect the sensitivities of the Muslims and Malays," Star reported a still defiant Ibrahim Ali as saying.

MCA leaders had helped Perkasa in organising the event, roping in senior citizens from various parts of the city to attend the party and make up the 300-odd crowd of attendees.

But totally ignoring the role of the MCA leaders, Labis MP Chua Tee Yong and Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong rushed to belatedly condemn Perkasa in a bid to distance themselves from the incident.

However, they were accused of being insincere as their reaction came only after a public uproar stirred Najib and Gerakan to take note of the fiasco.

Malaysia Chronicle