Malaysians Say The Darndest Things!

BN Serves Up A Joke In PJ Utara

March 4, 2008

What do the Petaling Jaya Utara and Petaling Jaya Selatan BN candidates have in common?
Yes, they are both from MCA, and yes they are both incumbents ready to defend their seats against the opposition.
Perhaps, what is most common to both Parliamentarians is that both of them have to toe the party line, therefore they have to answer questions relating to national issues that might not represent their personal views.

I don’t doubt the intelligence of either the PJU or PJS candidate. In fact, they must be pretty smart to get where they are now in the first place. However, if you were a voter in either constituency, do you want your Parliament candidate to just accept all the crap that the ruling party feeds them, or do you want them to be more independent-minded, and have the rakyat’s interests in mind?

Last week, PJS candidate, Donald Lim served up a stinker at the St Francis Xavier’s Church. This week, it is PJU candidate, Chew Mei Fun who crashes and bombs in a Q&A session with Malaysiakini. DAP’s Tony Pua also participated in the same Q&A.
Here are some excerpts from the interview, and it is obvious which candidate is more articulate and deserve to be your Member of Parliament (not Moron of Parliament):

Video also available here, for greater effect: Question time: PJ Utara’s Tony Pua vs Chew Mei Fun

Will you support the implementation of local council elections?

Chew: There (are) many ways to make sure that local councils perform and from what I know the government is looking into the method of appointment of councillors.

Pua: Absolutely. That is one of our platform in this campaign. The reason why MPs and state assemblymen in Malaysia are forced to do some of the work of local councils is simply because local councillors are not effective. They are not effective because they are not accountable to the public and (as such) they do things according to their own personal vested interest. So local council elections can be introduced so they will be accountable to the people and if they are not, they can be booted out in the next elections.

Will you support that Petronas’ accounts be made public?

Chew: I thought they already have their annual report. I thought the annual report is actually the accounts for (listed) companies to disclose to everybody.

Pua: Absolutely. I think it is important because Petronas controls a huge amount of wealth of the nation. Oil resource of the country belongs to the people and Petronas being the agent that manages the oil wealth of the country must be transparent for the people in order to show that the money has been invested and reinvested and distributed fairly.

Will you support universities to be autonomous or agree to the abolishing of the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) 1971?

Chew: I think university students to concentrate in (their) studies is something (that) they should focus on. But if there (are) weaknesses in the Act, then (there is) no harm to review and do some adjustment or some amendment.

Pua: I subscribe to the policy that the UUCA must be abolished. It does not make sense for the university to restrict the thoughts and inquiry of the students. Students must not be taught to think only in a certain way or prevented from being politically active for being politically active actually increases their awareness and critical thinking as well as their analytical skills to enable them to be more adaptable to the global environment when they graduate.

Will you support the idea of an Islamic state being established in Malaysia?

Chew: Under the constitution, everybody has freedom of religion. Islam is just the official religion, that’s all. But Pak Lah (Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) has already said that we are not an Islamic state and we go according to the constitution. The most important thing is according to the constitution. I think we are a secular state if you ask me.

Pua: Absolutely not. We believe that a multiracial and multicultural country such as Malaysia has to provide protection to all religions such as the freedom of worship. We believe that the best form of government to protect all religions including the official religion is actually a secular state.

Will you support the idea of abolishing the New Economic Policy (NEP)?

Chew: I thought the NEP has already ended. The most important thing is that we must make sure that [...] you can actually help one particular race but not at the expense of the other race. Everybody must be given a chance to have their own business and work together to create a win-win situation.

Pua: Absolutely. We believe that the NEP as it stands today favours the rich, wealthy and influential particularly from the bumiputra community. It does not benefit the bulk majority of the bumiputras as well as the non-bumiputras in this country. So inequality in the country has been increasing rapidly and only with opposition and it’s replacement with a policy that focuses on merit and needs, will the equality be reduced.

Chew Mei Fun thinks that Petronas releases the same figures required of listed companies? Chew Mei Fun thinks that a 20+ year old man/woman who is still studying should only focus on their studies and nothing else? Chew Mei Fun thinks that local council elections are unnecessary because she is already doing their job for them, instead of discharging her efforts as an MP? Chew Mei Fun forgets that Najib said that Malaysia was already an Islamic state, and was never secular? Chew Mei Fun thinks the NEP has already been abolished!????

I’m shocked! If I had to equate Chew Mei Fun to an animal, I would say she sounded just like a parrot, and her master was BN, not the rakyat!

So I would ask PJU voters: Do you want an MP who handles your drainage and issues that should be solved by the local council, but does not have an independent mind on national issues (vote Chew Mei Fun!)? Or an MP that knows what he is talking about and has the best interests of the rakyat at heart (vote Tony Pua)?

If I were a PJU voter, I would vote Tony Pua to Parliament on March 8th!

Oh, before I forget, Chew Mei Fun says the darndest things! (Second time she has appeared after the May 13th boo-boo)

(Edit 3.30pm 4th March 2008: Some interesting discourse on Chew Mei Fun can be found here).

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