YOURSAY | Candidate’s blunder - more like cat got her tongue

 

YOURSAY | Language is not the problem, it’s the inability to think on her feet.

Rough start for BN's Kesidang candidate after spotlight on BM fluency

Actual Malaysian: More worrying than BN’s Kesidang candidate Leong Hui Ying inability to fluently speak Malay is the fact that she answered "I don't know" to an election-related question she was asked by a reporter.

If she doesn't even understand the policies of her party and the coalition that heads it, she's definitely not fit to lead.

People are not shocked because of her allegedly poor Bahasa Malaysia, but are shocked that a candidate that wants to be the people's representative doesn't even know the dogma her party is peddling.

Anonymous_3f4b: Leong has released a video of herself speaking in fluent Malay.

The earlier video depicting her as seemingly illiterate in BM and English is probably the work of the DAP cybertroopers and its Red Bean Army. They are going all out to attack their opponents on social media in view of the ban on public ceramah.

Just imagine if she spoke in Chinese. The DAP cybertroopers will launch an attack and say that she should speak in Malay as it is the national language forgetting that most DAP members and candidates could not even string a proper sentence in either English or BM.

Citizenpc: @Anonymous_3f4b, why try to spin something which is clear for all to see?

As a candidate, Leong cannot even answer a legitimate question regarding her party's election slogan.

Even if not properly briefed, if one has some brains and common sense, she would have been able to answer the question.

Lionking: It was a simple question by the reporter (about her thoughts on the BN slogan "stability for prosperity".

It appears that MCA has no strategy. The main strategy is support where the money is, it appears.

The Analyser: “Stability for prosperity” - it translates into Malaysia-speak as “do nothing and prosper through corruption”.

Headhunter: She got caught by a crafty reporter who tried to be clever by asking such an ambiguous question. Try the same on the other candidates.

Having said that, I think she's still too green to be fielded. Is MCA running out of suitable candidates?

Existential Turd: Had DAP fielded such a candidate, they would be flayed for being Chinese chauvinists. The fact that BN is fielding her means two things:

1. BN thinks all Chinese are like her, and/or
2. They threw her to the dogs and use her as a spoiler

Dr Suresh Kumar: I find it impossible to comprehend the fact that after 64 years of independence, there are still some of us who cannot communicate in the national language.

I understand those of the independence era but the younger ones have no excuse whatsoever for not being able to speak or comprehend the national language.

Diehardmalaysian: @Dr Suresh Kumar, this is the product of vernacular schools.

There are many in DAP who are from vernacular schools but the difference is that they take the trouble to go for intensive BM classes to communicate well with their constituents and actively participate in Parliament as well as be able to answer questions from the press.

Isn’t there any other candidate for this constituency? Assuming she wins, which is highly unlikely (Kesidang is a DAP stronghold), how is she going to participate in the Dewan Rakyat?

Is she going to just warm the chair and collect her monthly allowances at the expense of the rakyat?

Iphonezours: As a Malaysian and one who was born, raised and educated in the country, it is not acceptable when one cannot communicate in BM. Communicating in English/Mandarin/Tamil/other mother tongues is secondary and an added advantage.

This is not a racist matter about speaking/communicating in BM, but fundamentally as Malaysians, we should all be able to speak the national language.

In this case, as a potential assemblyperson, communication in BM is important, be it at the state level and with people of various races.

Cate: Language, or rather the inability to articulate in any one language, is not the problem - it is the inability to think.

These are people who are used to rote learning and regurgitating whatever they’ve “learned”. That's the product of our present education system.

I hate to call it "education" - it is just memorising facts!

PinkDove7507: Yes, I think the issue is not whether she understands the Malay language but not knowing how to answer the question.

MCA probably knows it may not be able to win, thus it simply put someone there who is ready to lose. The party didn’t even brainstorm with the candidate on preparing for the election campaign.

VS: As long as you are not corrupt and crooked like the rest, and can work for the underprivileged in your constituency, a language barrier is no obstacle. Not only the Chinese but all level-headed Malaysians will support you.

Action speaks better than words. Anyway, brush up on your spoken Malay. It is not a difficult language to master. We only require bahasa pasar.

Beman: I wonder what MCA had in mind in fielding this obviously unwinnable candidate. Maybe BN is not taking this state election seriously. Yet they want to hold it in the midst of a pandemic.

The politicians in this country seem to take the rakyat for granted, one way or another.

GreenFalcon8572: She's new, she's young, she's probably flustered by reporters. Let's stop the attacks and let the ballot box decide. - Mkini