DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang questions the purpose to the police probe on Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob following the Cabinet's decision to exonerate the agriculture and agri-based industries minister yesterday. – The Malaysian Insider pic, February 5, 2015.The police have been made to look foolish for investigating Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob over a racist statement he made as the Cabinet has already cleared the minister of any wrongdoing, the DAP said today.
The party's parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang was referring to police hauling up Ismail over his call for a boycott of Chinese businesses after a statement by the Prime Minister's Department, which defended the minister.
"After the Cabinet meeting, the police today called up Ismail Sabri for investigation over his racist call on his Facebook to Malay consumers to boycott Chinese business, which prompted my tweet: 'Sheer rigmarole when PMO has cleared Ismail Sabri'," the Gelang Patah MP said in Sarikei last night.
"This has only made the police, the overwhelming majority of whom are dedicated and professional officers, committed to the duty to maintain peace and uphold law and order, look very foolish."
Lim also noted that the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar's Twitter had been "strangely quiet" after Ismail's statement went viral although he was quick to take to the social networking site to direct his men to investigate non-Barisan Nasional politicians or civil society members.
"I had occasion to ask Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar whether his Twitter account had broken down or whether Bukit Aman had suffered a breakdown of Internet access, as he had been strangely quiet for several hours on his account.
"It was a few hours after my tweet that Khalid took to the Twitter to say Ismail would be investigated, but all this was only for show, full of light and thunder but meaning nothing," he added.
In a strongly-worded speech, Lim also fired at the Cabinet for coming to Ismail's defence, saying that all 35 ministers have been shown to have "comprehension" problems worse than ordinary school children, who are already several years behind their peers in other countries, as shown in international assessment tests.
"It is fortunate that the 35 Cabinet ministers did not represent the country in these Pisa and TIMSS tests or Malaysia would be 10 or even more years behind other countries," he said, referring to the Programme for International Student Assessment and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study respectively.
"This is because even the average school children would not have made the colossal error committed by the 35 ministers in concluding that the call by Ismail Sabri to Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses was not targeting Chinese traders alone but aimed at all traders."
Ismail, the Bera MP, courted controversy after he wrote in a Facebook post that Malay consumers had a role in helping Putrajaya fight profiteers by using their collective power to lower the price of goods.
"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," the agriculture and agro-based industries minister wrote on his Facebook page.
He also singled out the OldTown White Coffee chain owned by OldTown Bhd, saying DAP MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham owned shares in the company.
"As long as the Malays don't change, the Chinese will take the opportunity to oppress the Malays," said Ismail.
A statement from the Prime Minister's Department yesterday, following a Cabinet meeting, defended Ismail, saying the minister had not targeted any specific race with his social media post.
Instead, it was "meant to rebuke traders who refuse to lower the price of goods" despite the drop in fuel prices," the statement said.
"The Cabinet meeting is the most disgraceful in the nation's history as the Cabinet ministers just fell short of former Umno youth leaders who gathered yesterday with the 'I am Ismail Sabri' placard endorsement," said Lim.
"It shows that the 35 ministers are incapable of taking a stand on the great rights and wrongs in the country.
"Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, gender or age will have to pass judgement on the quality and character of the 35 Cabinet members, for no Malaysian has brought more shame and disgrace to the country's international reputation and standing than the ministers themselves since the start of the new year."
- TMI
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