Kit Siang claims double standards in Namewee, school principals cases

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 – Lim Kit Siang put more pressure on Datuk Seri Najib Razak today to act against racism by comparing the swift action against controversial rapper “Namewee” to inaction over two school principals who allegedly uttered racist remarks.

Describing it as “double standards”, Lim pointed out that while Namewee or Wee Meng Chee had been questioned for 10 hours over his latest rap video “Nah!”, the government was still dragging its feet in the school principals case.

“Why double standards against Namewee, questioned for over 10 hours, for his anti-racist outburst as compared to treatment of the two errant school principals?” the DAP adviser (picture) asked in a statement today.

He noted that Wee was questioned yesterday for more than seven hoursvat the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) while three days before, he was questioned a further three hours by the police.

“In contrast, the two school principals in Kulai and Bukit Selambau, who had made racial and seditious slurs against non-Malay students, had been spared such an ordeal although Meng Chee’s video was made as an anti-racist protest against these two incidents,” the Ipoh Timur MP said

Lim also expressed disappointment in a statement from the Public Service Department (PSD) today which said that a show cause letter would be issued to the Kulai principal if she had indeed uttered derogatory remarks at her students.

“Three weeks have passed since the incident in Kulai on August 12. Is it so difficult to establish the facts and the truth of the incident?” he asked.

The Education Ministry had on Thursday announced that the matter had been diverted to the PSD to handle.

In a press conference today, its minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reiterated that the matter was in the hands of the enforcement agency and deflected questions on whether the government would use the Sedition Act on the principal.

The principal, Siti Inshah Mansor, has been accused of telling her students during a school assembly that the Chinese could go back to China while the Indians resembled “dogs” when wearing their prayer strings.

Her remark sparked off public uproar and the Najib administration’s continued silence on the matter had inspired Wee into producing his “Nah!” video clip.

The youth, with his trademark use of profanities and vulgarities, criticised the two school principals in his video clip and was hauled up by the authorities to explain his actions.

Lim however continued to stress today that there was nothing seditious or racist about Wee’s videclip.

He scoffed at the notion that an anti-racism video could become racist in nature and said that any punishment meted out on the youth should be in proportion to that given out to the two principals.

“Is the three-minute video by rapper Wee seditious? I would say no.

“Is the video racist? I would say no, unless an anti-racist response has also become ‘racist’ in the way former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants Malaysians to believe that meritocracy has become a form of racism,” he said.

Lim however admitted that Wee had been “crude, vulgar, abusive and even obscene” in his video.

“Yes. I have said twice publicly that I do not approve of the crude, vulgar, abusive and even obscene style used by Namewee but that is different from saying that it is seditious or racist and deserves the harshest criminal action,” he said.

Lim disagreed with MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s statement that the party would support any action taken by the government against Wee.

“Does this include action under the Sedition Act or other capital offences? How can the MCA leadership with four ministers in the Cabinet take such an irresponsible position, giving a blank cheque to racists and extremists to set the agenda as to the punishment that should be meted out to Meng Chee?

“Isn’t this a gross abdication of responsibility in government?” he said.

Lim further questioned Najib’s sincerity when he pledged “zero tolerance for racism” recently, in his response to the incidents in the schools.

“Where is Najib’s pledge and his slogan of 1 Malaysia when there could be such great contrast between the treatment meted out to the two errant school principals and Meng Chee?

“If action is to be taken against Meng Chee, there must be a sense of proportion and justice with regard to the action meted out to the errant school principals on the one hand and Meng Chee on the other,” he said.