The veteran journalist complains that Rizal Mansor, instead of addressing his queries, has belittled him.
PETALING JAYA: Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin has criticised the Prime Minister’s Department for not answering the questions he posed in a blog article last Sunday but instead questioning the integrity of the sources of his information.
The questions have to do with the costs incurred in the celebration of the Prime Minister’s daughter’s wedding. Among other things, Kadir said: “We have to ask whether it’s proper for a prime minister to accept the sponsorship of an outside party for a lavish reception where the guests are invited by him. Won’t it cause indebtedness and expose him to blackmail?”
In his newest article, Kadir notes that prime ministerial aide Rizal Mansor has responded to the Sunday article by accusing him of relying on “street talk” and questioning his knowledge of Malay customs.
He points out that Rizal’s response, which he made in a statement posted on the Internet, neither answered the questions nor confirmed the accuracy or inaccuracy of his article despite his request, at the top of the article, for such confirmation.
In response to the comment about his reliance on street talk, Kadir says Rizal ought to know that “in Malaysia today, road shoulders, and even road walls, floors and ceilings all have eyes, ears and mouths.”
He also points out that bloggers, specifically those who are critical of the Prime Minister, are never invited to briefing sessions or press conferences. “That’s why they are forced to pick facts from the streets.”
Rizal, in alleging that Kadir lacked knowldge of Malay culture, says it is the custom in Malay marriages for the groom to shoulder all costs, including the costs incurred by the bride’s family.
Kadir gamely admits that he is a “country yokel”, but says Rizal’s explanation is not entirely accurate.
In the kampung he comes from, he says, the bride’s family would shoulder the costs of its side of the celebration.
In the kampung he comes from, he says, the bride’s family would shoulder the costs of its side of the celebration.
He asks whether Rizal was speaking of the customs associated with Bugis Malays or Minangkabau Malays. “Or perhaps he means Kazakh customs that have been Bugisised or Minangkabauised.”
In any case, Kadir says, he is thankful to Rizal for giving publicity to his blog.
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