Don’t twist my words, Wong Tack tells Ti

The DAP’s Bentong candidate says the MCA publicity spokesman should look into MCA’s ‘tolerance of corruption’.

PETALING JAYA: DAP’s Bentong candidate Wong Tack has slammed MCA publicity spokesman Ti Lian Ker for twisting his words on corruption and the Chinese business community’s attitude to it.

Wong accused Ti of deliberately distorting what he had said.

He said his earlier statement was not about the Chinese community but the Chinese businessmen who were close to MCA and the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

“Ti deliberately chose to twist my observation which was actually in reference to the behaviour of some big-time Chinese businessmen, who were close to BN/MCA, on corruption,” Wong said in a statement issued in Bentong, Pahang, today.

Ti had criticised Wong for allegedly saying that “the Chinese accept corruption as long as everyone lives prosperously”.

He said on the contrary, the Chinese detested abuse of power and corruption by officials.

“DAP even goes to the extent of quoting the Chinese proverb: ‘If the water is too clear, no fish can survive’ to justify the assertions that the Chinese are tolerant of corruption.

“DAP is shameless and its statement has humiliated and insulted the Chinese,” Ti had said.

According to Ti, MCA had been serving the Chinese community for decades and understood the Chinese better.

“Chinese businessmen prosper from their hard work, discipline and business ethics,” he was reported as saying.

Responding to Ti’s criticism, Wong said the vast majority of the Chinese community in Malaysia was against corruption and that was the reason most of them supported DAP and not MCA.

“Ti should know very well about the elements of corruption by some of his own party members and leaders.

“It is the MCA leaders who accept the tolerance of corruption and not the Chinese community,” he said.

Wong also took MCA to task for their “deafening silence” over high-profile financial scandals such as those involving 1MDB, Felda and the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ). - FMT