Johor deputy exco under fire for calling Bahau 'place where birds won't lay eggs'

 

N SEMBILAN POLLS | Newly appointed Johor deputy exco Chan San San has drawn criticism after describing Bahau in Negeri Sembilan as "a place where birds do not lay eggs" while campaigning for BN’s candidate Chong Fui Ming last night.

In Mandarin, "a place where birds do not lay eggs" is a common metaphor describing a remote, desolate, or underdeveloped location.

The remark, made during a dinner organised by the Bahau Chinese Chamber of Commerce, was livestreamed and later widely circulated on social media.

In the video, Chan (above) said she hoped Bahau would see greater development and no longer be regarded as a neglected area.

"I hope the next time I come here, I won't have to tell my father not to come to this place where birds won't lay eggs. Sorry, this may offend some of you, but I believe that with everyone's efforts, Bahau will have better development in the future."

Chan recently won Johor Jaya in the Johor state election.

‘Stay out of Bahau’

In a Facebook post, she said the Bahau Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Iskandar Puteri Chinese Chamber of Commerce had signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a sister-chamber relationship, to turn Bahau into a "golden egg" that could attract more foreign investment.

However, her "birds won't lay eggs" remark drew backlash from netizens, with some accusing her of insulting residents and not understanding the situation in Bahau.

They also demanded that she clarify her remarks, while others said she was not welcome in Bahau and that the comment had hurt BN's campaign.

DAP's candidate Teo Kok Seong, who is also the Bahau incumbent, appeared to have responded to the controversy by posting a greeting on Facebook today featuring a picture of birds.

The image showed birds flying and perched on power lines, with the words "Good morning, remember to give yourself a smile every day", which also had a vote for Pakatan Harapan logo.

Teo did not directly mention Chan's remarks, only writing: "Good morning, Bahau. Wishing you a smooth week ahead and that everything goes well."

Bahau incumbent Teo Kok Seong (in white)

Not the first time

Separately, Pahang deputy speaker and DAP’s Bilut assemblyperson Lee Chin Chen criticised MCA for once again making remarks that insulted Negri Sembilan voters.

He pointed out that four years ago, Pahang MCA Youth chief Wong Siew Mun described Pekan Titi in Chennah as "shan ka la".

Wong, who was then MCA's candidate for Bilut, had later apologised for using the Cantonese colloquial term referring to a backwater place.

"How much longer does MCA intend to insult Negeri Sembilan voters? What has Negeri Sembilan done to offend MCA?" Lee asked.

He urged voters to teach such parties a lesson at the ballot box. - Mkini