Has Nazri always been “civil to the opposition”?

By Ding Jo-Ann | The Nut Graph

“Being civil to the opposition is the right thing to do in a democracy because just like me, they are also elected by the people.”

MINISTER in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz, in an open letter to Utusan Malaysia columnist Awang Selamat. Awang had accused Nazri in his column Alahai Nazri of being too civil with the opposition. Nazri defended his civility, saying it was part of democracy. He added that Awang was caught in a “time warp”, where government Members of Parliament (MP) do not engage with opposition parliamentarians.
Nazri’s open letter drew praise on online news sites and on Twitter. (Source: Nazri’s open letter to Awang Selamat, theSun, 20 Sept 2010)

“Duduk, duduk, duduk, duduk, duduk, duduk, duduk. Racist! Ini Ipoh Barat racist! Duduk, duduk, duduk. Duduk, perkauman! Duduk, perkauman! Duduk, perkauman! … Ipoh Barat perkauman! Bloody racist, racist!”

Nazri in Parliament in 2005, debating with Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran from the DAP. (Source: Parlimen Malaysia – Nazri: Racist!, YouTube, 9 May 2006)

“[Malaysia] boleh berjaya kalau orang macam ini tak ada dalam Dewan. Dia cakap semua benda yang pembohongan ja, tidak ada pertuduhan … ini otak benak tak ada otak … Otak dia bodoh, otak dia benak, orang macam ini pembohongan … Memanglah, pembohong … Bodohlah, bodoh!”

Nazri in Parliament on 21 June 2007, responding to DAP adviser and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang on a debate involving Malaysia’s falling rankings in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. (Source: Jawapan-jawapan lisan bagi pertanyaan-pertanyaan, Dewan Rakyat transcript, 21 June 2007)

“… memang kepala tak betul di sana. Dalam istilah orang muda sekarang ini wayar putus, kepala wayar putus … Jadi perkara ini, orang-orang pondan macam pembangkang, tak payah layan pandangan mereka ini. Kita percaya SPR adalah adil.”

Nazri, referring to the opposition as “pondan”, when responding to a question about allegations that the Election Commission was biased in carrying out its function. (Source: Jawapan-jawapan lisan bagi pertanyaan-pertanyaan, Dewan Rakyat transcript, 12 Nov 2007)

“To apologise to Fong is not on. I don’t agree.
“This is part of parliamentary debates. Both MPs uttered the words during the heat of their debate, and you cannot control people’s emotions.”

Nazri, saying there was no need for Barisan Nasional MPs Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (Jasin) and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan) to apologise to DAP MP Fong Po Kuan for their “bocor” remarks.
After she raised the issue of ceiling leaks in Parliament, Mohd Said and Bung Mokhtar had responded to Fong: “Mana bocor? Batu Gajah pun bocor setiap bulan.” (Source: Shahrizat to meet with MPs, The Star, 17 May 2007)