Zainuddin Maidin is being naughty and insidious
By seemingly trying to “protect” Mahathir, Zainuddin has shown that his real intention is to denigrate and disgrace the DAP as well as the Malays who join the party.
By TK Chua
Former minister, Zainuddin Maidin, when criticising Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim for filing a police report against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, made some rather insidious and outrageous comments against the DAP, a legally constituted political party in the country.
When writing this piece, I wish to inform that I have no affiliation to any political party. I am merely stating the demerits and the follies of Zainuddin’s observations on Tunku Aziz, the Malays in general and the DAP.
To avoid misinterpretation and ambiguity, I reproduce below in quote what he was reported to have said.
(i) “Correct. But he [Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim] committed treason against the rulers when he was willing to be a lackey of a party which wants to abolish the rulers. But Mahathir is using DAP.”
(ii) “Tunku Aziz joining DAP has eroded the dignity of the Malays more compared to the allegation that Mahathir claimed the (Yang di-Pertuan) Agong is under house arrest.”
(iii) He [Zainuddin Maidin] added that Tunku Aziz should be arrested for “teaching” Mahathir to collaborate with the DAP.
By implication and taking his statements ordinarily, I think Zainuddin has made grave accusations not just against Tunku Aziz and other Malays but also the DAP. Seriously, I do not know what game he is playing. He was seemingly trying to “protect” Mahathir when his real intention was aimed at denigrating and disgracing the DAP and the Malays who join the party.
I think DAP should not leave all these allegations unchallenged. Malays too have freedom of association. By joining the DAP, they are not lackeys who have committed treason against the rulers. It is a serious accusation to put in writing that the DAP is a party that wants to abolish Malay monarchy. It would mean the party could exist all these years ultra vires the Federal Constitution.
Similarly, how could Tunku Aziz’s membership in the DAP in the past erode the dignity of the Malays? How could one man’s action or political orientation affect the dignity of the whole community? Such an observation is an insult to the Malays and an aspersion to DAP.
It is debatable whether Tunku Aziz’s police report against Mahathir is justified. However to imply that his past association with the DAP has taught Mahathir to collaborate with DAP is naughty. Mahathir needs no teacher and Tunku Aziz commits no arrestable offence. Since when was collaborating with the DAP a felony?
TK Chua is an FMT reader.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
With a firm belief in freedom of expression and without prejudice, FMT tries its best to share reliable content from third parties. Such articles are strictly the writer’s personal opinion. FMT does not necessarily endorse the views or opinions given by any third party content provider.