Bersatu leader: Not 'bodoh' to question PM's 'soft' stance on South China Sea

A Bersatu supreme council member has criticised Ipoh Timur MP Howard Lee for implying that former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin lacked wisdom when commenting on Putrajaya’s policy on the South China Sea.

In a statement, Faiz Na’aman (above) took issue with Lee who implied that Muhyiddin was either “bodoh” (unintelligent) or pretending to be “bodoh” on international relations by criticising Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s position on the matter.

“Perhaps for young and ultra-liberal MPs from DAP such as Lee, sensitive issues such as the South China Sea need not be emphasised on grounds that we are dealing with China - an economic power - and need to take care of their feelings.

“Are the diplomatic efforts, trade relations and history of this region with China since the time of the Malacca sultanate, not enough? Do we need to be soft if our rights are being violated or threatened?” asked Faiz.

On April 7, Muhyiddin criticised Anwar for claiming that Malaysia was “ready to negotiate” with China on overlapping claims over the South China Sea, involving areas currently being explored by Petronas.

For Muhyiddin, there was nothing to negotiate because Petronas was operating within Malaysia’s territory. He said Anwar’s statement was “careless” because it could indirectly confirm China’s claim over Malaysian waters.

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Anwar has maintained that Malaysia would not compromise with China regarding the national oil and gas company’s explorations and said Muhyiddin should pay more attention.

In defending Anwar, Lee said Muhyiddin lacked wisdom as a former prime minister if he did not know that the current prime minister was referring to meetings and arbitrations to solve or ease tensions over contentious diplomatic issues, such as the South China Sea.

Ipoh Timur MP Howard Lee

Backing Muhyiddin, Faiz said no other Asean leaders had used the word “negotiate” when addressing China's claim on the South China Sea, although China has strong diplomatic and trade links with the region.

“It comes as no surprise that Anwar was labelled ‘weak’ by Muhyiddin on this issue. I question if Anwar was soft with China in view that the entire country is aware of who supported him during the Reformasi era,” said Faiz.

As for Lee, Faiz said there was no need for the backbencher to use rude language against the opposition because the opposition was supposed to provide constructive criticisms.

“I think Pakatan Harapan has said worse things when Najib Abdul Razak was prime minister and was linked to national projects that involved China,” he said. - Mkini