Kok praised by grassroots
leader as ‘the new Karpal’
Happy Valley DAP branch chairman Ganeson Ramasamy claims the current batch of DAP leaders ‘have become mice’.
and the voice of DAP’s conscience following her recent comments on mandatory halal certification.new Karpal Singh
Happy Valley DAP branch chairman Ganeson Ramasamy said prominent DAP leaders were silent for an extended period after Kok was criticised by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh for her views, before eventually coming to the Seputeh MP’s defence.
Ganeson claimed that since former DAP chairman Karpal’s death in 2014, DAP leaders have seemingly been unwilling to take a bold stance on contentious issues.
Ganeson told reporters on the sidelines of the Penang DAP convention here.Everybody in the party should have fully defended Kok,
“Why can’t these DAP leaders tell off Akmal directly in a press statement? Why can’t they confront Akmal? There are 54 DAP MPs.
“There have been no tigers or lions since Karpal. Before this, Karpal used to bring up such issues.
But now, all (DAP leaders) have become mice. She’s (Kok) the new Karpal Singh! She has guts!
Karpal, a respected senior lawyer renowned for his outspoken views, was known as the
after the constituency in Penang that he represented in the Dewan Rakyat from 1978-1999.Tiger of Jelutong
He was killed in a road accident in 2014.
The mandatory halal certification controversy started on Sept 5 when religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar said the Islamic development department (Jakim) was considering a proposal for halal certification to be made mandatory for eateries that do not serve pork and alcohol.
In response, Kok called for halal certification to remain voluntary, saying the government should allow business operators to decide on this based on market demand rather than forcing them.
Her remarks irked several parties such as Akmal, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also distancing himself from Kok by saying that her views were personal and not representative of Pakatan Harapan.
DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook later came to her defence, stating that Kok was merely voicing the concerns of her constituents, including concerned non-Muslim restaurant operators.
On Wednesday, deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Cabinet had agreed to maintain the long-standing policy – which has been in place since 1974 – that halal certification would only be on a voluntary basis.
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