Chinese couplet critics racist, out of their minds, says Guan Eng

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has dismissed a social media posting which criticised the Chinese couplets in his office.

The posting claimed the couplets give the impression that the office is located in Beijing and described it as an insult to the national language.

Lim said people should not pay heed to those who are out of their minds.

"Don't fall for the extremists and racist ploys of those who support the opposition.

"If you want to play that game, it is a waste of time. What is important is the people's welfare and economy.

"Let's not get involved with those who are out of their minds or are nonsensical," he told reporters in Putrajaya today.

The social media criticism over the Chinese couplets came after Lim shared photos of a meeting he had with Microsoft representatives at his office on Tuesday.

They read: "May everyone in the family gets along well and a hundred businesses boom" and "May the fate of the nation prosper and welcome a golden era".

Lim explained the Chinese couplets have been up since Chinese New Year and should not be made an issue.

He also questioned why his critics did not share photos of the Quranic verse framed in his office.

The verse from Surah Al-Quds was a remnant from Najib Abdul Razak's time as finance minister, which Lim left untouched.

Earlier, lawyer Syahredzan Johan also drubbed the criticism of the Chinese couplets insulting the national language as without merit.

“I consider myself as someone keen on wanting to uphold Bahasa Melayu. If you don't believe this, you can read my previous articles.

“But I do not understand why this (the couplets) has become an issue about respecting the national language?” he said in a Facebook post this morning.

Syahredzan, who is DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang's political secretary, also questioned if the critics attempted to find out what the Chinese couplets meant.

“The couplets are often placed at the entrance of a house to provide 'ong' (good fortune) to its occupants.

“Yes, we might not believe in these things and I am not certain if the finance minister himself believes in this, but it is a part of Chinese culture.

“In my opinion, he (the minister) wanted to decorate his office with a poem or phrase which reflected his culture,” he added.

Syahredzan questioned if it is no longer acceptable for non-Malay ministers to display items from their respective cultures in their own offices.

“Since when has Chinese culture stopped being a part of the Malaysian landscape? The Chinese do not only live in Beijing,” he added.

Syahredzan noted how Muslims have Quranic verses in their offices, which are there not for official reasons but because it is part of their identity. - Mkini