Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin has denied tweeting that the terror group Isis was "better than some Chinese", saying that he had fallen prey to an impersonator.
The reference to Isis, or the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq, follows an Umno minister's remarks earlier today which compared the militant group to a call by another Umno MP to boycott Chinese businesses.
Bung, an Umno MP from Sabah, tweets at @MyKinabatangan and his Twitter profile carries his full name – Bung Mokhtar Radin – whereas the handle of the parody account is @mpkinabatangan and only carries the name "Bung".
"That is not my account. That is a fake account posing as mine. My real account is @MyKinabatangan," he told The Malaysian Insider which contacted him to verify if the tweet was his.
"Bung" tweeted: "Isis is better than some Chinese" earlier today, and had also tagged Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, whose handle is @ismailsabri60.
Ismail, an Umno MP, is under fire for his call on Malays to boycott Chinese businesses as a way to bring the prices of goods down.
He has refused to apologise, saying that his remark, posted on his Facebook account and now deleted, was not targeted specifically at Chinese.
The reference to Isis in "Bung's" tweet follows a remark by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who earlier today said Ismail's rant against Chinese traders was not as bad as what Isis had done to a Jordanian pilot whom the terror group had held hostage.
"If you want to talk about moderation, I think Isis burning the Jordanian pilot is far worse than this case involving Ismail,” Hishammuddin said at a press conference today referring to the incident this week where Isis militants had torched a Jordanian pilot locked in a cage and posted a video of the act online.
In his Facebook post earlier this week, Ismail said, "The majority of consumers are Malay, Chinese are a minority. If the Malays boycott their businesses, they will surely have no choice but to reduce their prices," he posted on the social networking site.
Ismail had also singled out the OldTown White Coffee chain owned by OldTown Bhd, saying DAP MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham owned shares in the company.
"Malays are still refusing to boycott (OldTown White Coffee) what more when its owner is said to be the DAP Ngeh family of Perak who are known to be anti-Islam.
"As long as the Malays don't change, the Chinese will take the opportunity to oppress the Malays," said Ismail.
His remarks sparked outrage and calls for his by civil society groups and opposition politicians for him to resign, or for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to sack him from the cabinet.
MCA, Umno's Chinese ally in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, also registered its protest against at Ismail's remarks.
But the Prime Minister's Department in a statement on Wednesday cleared Ismail, saying that his comments were not targeted at the Chinese and were "meant to rebuke traders who refuse to lower the price of goods" despite lower fuel prices. – TMI
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