Loke can call himself best transport minister ever, says Wee

 

MALACCA POLLS | MCA president Wee Ka Siong has dismissed Anthony Loke’s challenge to debate their respective track records as transport ministers, insisting he never questioned his successor’s performance and suggesting the invitation was little more than an attempt to manufacture a controversy where none existed.

“What is he talking about? When did I question his track record?

“He can consider himself the ‘best transport minister ever in Malaysia, or the world’. He can hold on to this self-fulfilling prophecy for all I care,” he told Malaysiakini.

Wee (above, right) was responding to Loke, who challenged him to a face-to-face debate on their respective stints at the Transport Ministry.

“You want to challenge face to face? I can face you too. What did you do as transport minister, and what did Loke do as transport minister?” the DAP secretary-general asked.

The war of words erupted after Loke accused Wee of trying to bully DAP’s Bandar Hilir incumbent Leng Chau Yen, who apparently has a speech impediment, by daring her to a debate.

What challenge?

Wee, however, dismissed the accusation as “pure nonsense”, maintaining that he had never challenged Leng to a debate.

Rather, he said, he had simply agreed to a proposal by MCA candidate Jasmine Lok to go head-to-head with the incumbent.

Jasmine Lok (in white)

According to Wee, Lok had approached him because she wanted to hear Leng’s position on the Bandar Hilir car-free zone (CFZ), a contentious issue in the constituency.

“So I agreed to the debate proposal. This is because although the DAP incumbent had backed the initiative in the state assembly, her stance appeared to shift when residents began voicing objections.

“Therefore, I was of the opinion that a debate between the two of them would be beneficial for the people to make an informed choice. How does this amount to bullying?” he asked.

Wee argued that the CFZ was no mere academic debate, pointing to traffic disruptions arising from the initiative, which he claimed had contributed to businesses shutting down in the area.

He said resolving the issue was crucial to reviving economic opportunities, particularly for young people who might otherwise be compelled to look elsewhere for employment.

The MCA chief also said he had not known that Leng had a speech impediment, taking Loke to task for suggesting he would ridicule someone over such a condition.

Leng Chau Yen

“I only learned of it after reading Loke’s comments,” he added.

Leng has represented Bandar Hilir since 2021, having previously spent eight years as political secretary to her predecessor, Tey Kok Kiew.

Lok, meanwhile, is making her electoral debut, having been involved in community work since 2011 and serving as a councillor with the Malacca Historic City Council since 2022. - Mkini