Newly minted Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong is unfazed by the criticism that he accepted a “backdoor” appointment.
Pressed on this after he was sworn in this evening, the Johor DAP chairperson said his detractors were free to express their views on the matter.
"They can say whatever, I didn't win (a parliamentary seat) because I contested in a tough seat. Whatever happened on May 9, everyone participated," he added.
Asked if he felt like a 'backdoor' minister, Liew, who was appointed as a senator this afternoon, reiterated that Dewan Negara was an important institution and all quarters have a role to play.
This is because Pakatan Harapan does not have a majority in the Upper House.
Liew was defeated in his bid to wrest the Ayer Hitam federal seat from the incumbent and MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong. He lost with a wafer-thin 303 votes.
He has since filed an election petition to challenge the outcome of the result.
Liew had previously mocked MCA Youth chief Chong Sin Woon when he was made a deputy minister in 2014, calling him a "backdoor minister" as he had not contested in the 13th general election.
The DAP lawmaker said he had learned almost a month ago of plans to appoint him as a senator and deputy minister.
However, he said that he would need some time to study his portfolio before commenting on any defence issue.
He also dismissed the notion that he was appointed to the ministry in a bid to drive up non-Malay numbers in the armed forces. "I'm a Malaysian," he stressed.
It is not clear how many troops are non-Malays, but former armed forces chief Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed had last year said that he hoped to increase participation among all races by 10 percent annually. - Mkini
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