Guan Eng slams Johor DAP leader over remarks on Hannah Yeoh’s mosque visit
Lim Guan Eng says Dr Boo Cheng Hau’s remarks have also cast a bad light on the entire DAP leadership.
PETALING JAYA: A Johor DAP leader was called out by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today over his remarks against Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh for wearing a headscarf to a mosque.
The Johor leader, Dr Boo Cheng Hau, was reportedly unhappy about Yeoh’s decision to don the headscarf during her visit to a mosque in Kuala Lumpur last week.
In response, Lim said Yeoh wasn’t wrong to wear a headscarf to the mosque.
“This is similar to how all visitors are required to cover their head with a cloth if they want to enter a gurdwara,” he said referring to the place of worship for Sikhs.
PETALING JAYA: A Johor DAP leader was called out by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today over his remarks against Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh for wearing a headscarf to a mosque.
The Johor leader, Dr Boo Cheng Hau, was reportedly unhappy about Yeoh’s decision to don the headscarf during her visit to a mosque in Kuala Lumpur last week.
In response, Lim said Yeoh wasn’t wrong to wear a headscarf to the mosque.
“This is similar to how all visitors are required to cover their head with a cloth if they want to enter a gurdwara,” he said referring to the place of worship for Sikhs.
Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh visiting a mosque in her constituency last week. (Facebook pic)
“Showing respect at a place of worship should not be seen as abandoning one’s faith.”
Lim then called on Boo to focus on more important issues such as the soaring prices of essential food items.
“I find Boo’s remarks no different to those made before by extremist and primitive PAS leaders who want to control what women can or cannot wear.
“His actions are not only gender-insensitive but also runs the risk of portraying DAP leaders as being just as intolerant and regressive as the extremist PAS leaders.
“Unfortunately, such unjustifiable criticism by one state leader has cast a bad light on the entire DAP,” he said in a statement.
Yeoh, in light of Boo’s comments, tweeted: “Wearing a ‘selendang’ when I visit a mosque doesn’t change my race or faith. Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Amen.”
Boo made the negative remarks against Yeoh in a private WhatsApp group comprising Johor DAP leaders, Malaysiakini reported.
FMT has reached out to Boo for comment.
“Showing respect at a place of worship should not be seen as abandoning one’s faith.”
Lim then called on Boo to focus on more important issues such as the soaring prices of essential food items.
“I find Boo’s remarks no different to those made before by extremist and primitive PAS leaders who want to control what women can or cannot wear.
“His actions are not only gender-insensitive but also runs the risk of portraying DAP leaders as being just as intolerant and regressive as the extremist PAS leaders.
“Unfortunately, such unjustifiable criticism by one state leader has cast a bad light on the entire DAP,” he said in a statement.
Yeoh, in light of Boo’s comments, tweeted: “Wearing a ‘selendang’ when I visit a mosque doesn’t change my race or faith. Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Amen.”
Boo made the negative remarks against Yeoh in a private WhatsApp group comprising Johor DAP leaders, Malaysiakini reported.
FMT has reached out to Boo for comment.
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kt comments:
While I agree with LGE and Hannah Yeoh in showing respect for a place of worship by wearing appropriate dressing including headgear, I don't with Guan Eng's very naughty and underhanded tactic to turn Dr Boo's objection to Hannah's tudung as gender-INsensitive and alike those made before by extremist and primitive PAS leaders who want to control what women can or cannot wear.
Guan Eng has been unfairly nasty and sinisterly Machiavellian when Dr Boo (outside Guan Eng's inner coterie) only criticised Hannah's headgear as a stunt and worse, appeasement. Dr Boo stated of what he saw as a stunt to pull the wool over Malay eyes as:
"Do you really think DAP can win Malay support by only wearing baju Melayu and hijabs?”
"I proposed DAP to have Islamic scholars to relate DAP's social democracy better to Malay masses in (an) Islamic context. But (DAP strategist) Liew Chin Tong thought it's a stupid idea."
"I proposed DAP to have Islamic scholars to relate DAP's social democracy better to Malay masses in (an) Islamic context. But (DAP strategist) Liew Chin Tong thought it's a stupid idea."
Zhuge Liang
Once veto-ed by DAP's Zhuge Liang, Dr Boo's quite good proposal was mercilessly cast adrift. That's how Guan Eng and his inner coterie marginalised the DAP grassroots.
To reiterate what was reported earlier by Malaysiakini, see extracts as follows:
[Dr Boo] told Malaysiakini that his suggestion for Muslim scholars to be involved in DAP was a genuine proposal he made sometime between 1999 and 2000.
"In my view, we have to relate our ideology (social democracy) to the hearts of Malays in (a way) which they can identify (with).
"It is important to go deeper than superficial cultural matters. It is to explain social democracy on an Islamic and Malay spiritual level," he said while repeating the contents of the tweet.
The late PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat
Boo pointed to how the late PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat used to explain Islam and interpreted ideas of multiculturalism and embracing differences from an Islamic perspective, as an example to emulate.
Asked for his thoughts on how DAP was approaching the Malays, he replied that party representatives have done well to establish rapport with all races.
"We have learned to do things that are acceptable by all communities, which could be quite painstaking at times. Cultural sensitivity is vital in handling community affairs, through which we have to be seen as manifestly fair and sensible to all communities.
"We cannot be seen as over-appeasing a particular group while neglecting the rest," he said when relating how he accommodated the sensitivities of his Muslim constituents when he was the Skudai assemblyperson.
Boo argued that "over appeasing" would come across as pretentious, and Harapan and DAP should not try to be a party that they are not while presenting their ideology in a way that all Malaysians can relate to.
He added that while Malays are the majority, single race dominance could lead to antagonism and that the majority should be concerned about preserving and promoting the minorities' rights to culture, language and livelihood.
At the same time, Boo said DAP and Harapan have lost both Malay and non-Malay support in various degrees and must learn from their political failures.
Well, obviously Guan Eng and his inner coterie haven't, wakakaka.
Nice Finance Minister of PH govt. He allocated RM100 million to Tahfiz schools whilst denying TAR-UC its traditional annual matching grant which had made college fees cheaper for students eg. Teresa Kok (DAP), Chong Eng (DAP) and Salahuddin Ayub (Amanah) - The college didn't demand that students must join MCA
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Related:
What are Harapan's 'progressive' values?
by S Thayaparan in Malaysiakini:
[images inserted by kt 😁😂😅]
Dei Thaya Tambee, you listen carefully
Now you mustn't spook Mahathir and the Malays
The DAP has shown that they will grovel at the heels of any Malay power structure that would have them. To them, the “middle path” is anytime they can hold onto public office without being held accountable to whatever principles the party’s ideology is premised on.
me and my Atuk
Dei Thaya Tambee, you listen carefully
Now you mustn't spook Mahathir and the Malays
The DAP has shown that they will grovel at the heels of any Malay power structure that would have them. To them, the “middle path” is anytime they can hold onto public office without being held accountable to whatever principles the party’s ideology is premised on.
me and my Atuk
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I also recall (but alas couldn't trace that MKINI publication) of Commander remarking sarcastically on Guan Eng's refusal to allocate TARUC the traditional govt annual grant, words to the effect, that Guan Eng as FM had foolishly denied 'nons' of much needed funding to TARUC (non-govt education stream) whilst pampering to massive allocations to Muslim education facilities.
Boo's last effort at reaching out for inclusiveness was 22 years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
ReplyDeleteSince then Boo Cheng Hau has largely been known as a defender and promoter of DAP's Red Neck wing ideology.