Look before you leap, Siti Mastura

 

Actions and words have consequences, and the PAS MP for Kepala Batas, Siti Mastura Mohamad, may want to reflect on the speech she delivered two weeks ago, which has outraged DAP.

At best, it is a study into “How not to deliver a talk”, and at worst, her speech at a political rally in Kemaman, Terengganu, on Nov 4 was a litany of lies, as alleged by the party.

Siti Mastura may be a youthful and inexperienced first-term MP, nevertheless her role carries with it a lot of responsibilities.

As a representative of her constituency, she has to account for her actions and words, but her conduct at the rally shows that she deserves to be punished for slander, if it is proven, and have the whip withdrawn. In other words, she should be subject to disciplinary action by her party.

Did any of the PAS leaders, including its president, Abdul Hadi Awang, censure her for her alleged racist and slanderous comments against Lim Guan Eng’s family, and the family of the late former prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew?

Why was she trying to suggest that a group of non-Malay MPs in DAP were related, and that Lim Kit Siang was the cousin of the late Malayan Communist Party (MCP) leader Chin Peng aka Ong Boon Hua.

To make matters worse, she seemed to suggest that Lee was also Chin Peng’s cousin.

The reasons are simple. For several decades, a few politicians have used Lee and Chin Peng as bogeymen to paint DAP, its leaders and MPs in a negative light.

To badmouth DAP and scare the public, these irresponsible politicians often ‘link’ the Malaysian MPs with these two men.

To tie them to Chin Peng is to suggest the Malaysian MPs have communist leanings, whereas the connection with Lee is to suggest the DAP MPs are under the “influence” of the PAP.

Siti Mastura’s inability to understand the nuances of the Chinese surname gave her away. Is this an indication that non-Malay and Malay youths rarely integrate in society?

Chinese surnames are very informative, and they show the origins of their families, which differ in terms of migratory patterns and the clan’s historical development in China.

Another DAP MP, Teo Nie Ching, summarised the Chinese surnames description like this: Lee is Lee Kuan Yew’s surname, and he is a descendant of the Hakka clan. Lim Kit Siang’s surname is Lim, and he is Hokkien, whereas Chin Peng aka Ong Boon Hua is Hokchia. All come from different families and they are not cousins.

Siti Mastura, a PhD holder, ought to have known better. She may be a busy woman, but as an MP, she should have instructed her political aides to verify her sources.

Were her aides incompetent, was Siti Mastura careless, or did she not care about the information she was releasing to her audience? It shows her lack of attention to detail.

Siti Mastura should think before she speaks. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.