DAP reps pan Umno man’s lewd ‘joke’, apology offer

 Syerleena Abdul Rashid calls for an end to practice among politicians of issuing an apology only after their actions spark controversy, while Lee Chin Chen says a conditional offer for an apology lacks sincerity.

Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid said the ‘cakap dulu, minta maaf kemudian’ culture needs to stop, while Bilut assemblyman Lee Chin Chen said all faiths must be given equal respect.

PETALING JAYA:

Two elected representatives from DAP have hit out at an Umno division leader’s controversial lewd “joke” involving the Catholic clergy and his offer to apologise to the Christian community.

Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid called for an end to the practice among politicians of issuing an apology only after their actions spark controversy, while Bilut assemblyman Lee Chin Chen said any conditional offer for an apology lacked sincerity.

Syerleena said political accountability “demands judgment before the controversy, not contrition after it”.

“We have seen this routine too often in Malaysian politics: an offensive remark is made, there is public anger, context is offered, intentions are explained, and the apology comes eventually. Then we reset.

“That ‘cakap dulu, minta maaf kemudian’ culture needs to stop,” she said in a statement.

Earlier today, Sepang Umno chief Noorazli Said said he was prepared to apologise if the joke he told at the party’s general assembly on Saturday had insulted the Christian community.

Noorazli also said he did not mean to insult or belittle anyone or any religion with the joke that revolved around a priest and a nun and hinged on a punchline attributed to Psalm 129 in the Bible.

His actions prompted two Umno leaders and an MP from Sabah to demand an apology from him.

Syerleena said an apology was necessary but could not become “another reset button that allows everyone to forget the conduct that required it”.

“Apologise, but perhaps spend less time explaining your intentions and more time reflecting on why basic decency had to be pointed out to you by everyone else,” she said.

Lee, who is also the assistant DAP national organising secretary, said an offer to apologise if one found the joke offensive, and saying sorry over an inappropriate joke were entirely different things.

“The former shifts the issue onto how others interpreted or felt about the remarks. The latter is an acknowledgement of wrongdoing and an acceptance of responsibility,” he said in a separate statement.

He said that if the situation were reversed and another politician had used Islam for a sexually suggestive joke, society would not accept excuses of “misinterpretation” or “lack of malicious intent”.

He said the offender would not merely face public criticism, but could also be reported, investigated, and potentially face enforcement action.

“There must, therefore, be no double standards when it comes to respecting religion. If we demand respect for our own faith, we must extend the same respect to the faiths of others,” he said. - FMT