Umno leaders slam Guan Eng over Khairy criticism

 Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed says once-vocal DAP leaders are now staying silent because they are in government.

Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed (left) said DAP national adviser Lim Guan Eng should ‘look in the mirror’ before turning his guns on Khairy Jamaluddin’s defence of Dr Akmal Saleh.

PETALING JAYA:

Two Umno leaders have told Lim Guan Eng to “look in the mirror” after the DAP national adviser accused Khairy Jamaluddin of being a “fake progressive” over his defence of Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh’s style of politics.

Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed cited senior DAP leaders Nga Kor Ming and Ngeh Koo Ham, who he said were previously vocal in championing the Chinese community but have since remained silent after joining the ruling bloc.

“DAP also has pro-Chinese voices like Nga and Ngeh who are now quiet because they are enjoying the perks of holding government positions. The same goes for Jelutong MP RSN Rayer, who used to be vocal in championing Indian and Hindu interests.

“Now that they are in government, they can afford to stay silent. But I would not be surprised if, once elections draw near, their old deeply buried instincts resurface,” he told FMT.

Earlier, Lim criticised Khairy for saying that Akmal’s style of politics was necessary for Umno.

Lim said employing a controversial and “extremist” approach to canvass Malay support was wrong, regardless if it was Umno or Perikatan Nasional doing so.

Commenting further, Nur Jazlan said the outspoken nature of the Umno Youth chief was unsurprising in today’s political landscape, where social media-driven politics rewarded controversy with quick popularity.

“We are heading towards elections, and in today’s social media era, where people have short attention spans, controversial figures stand to gain greater political mileage,” he said.

Meanwhile, another Umno Supreme Council member, Razlan Rafii, also lashed out at Lim, accusing him of remaining trapped in old racial politics despite the country having moved forward.

He said Malaysia’s political dynamics were straightforward, where any reaction from those defending the Federal Constitution would only arise when parties attempted to challenge the original framework of the federation.

“Leaders like Lim Guan Eng are still trapped in race-based politics. Even though the country has progressed significantly, he continues to play politics under the guise of championing the Chinese community.

“It is not just Akmal and Khairy – the people also see Lim as continuing to play racial politics, which is why many reject DAP,” he said.- FMT