The hornbills retaliate with strong pecking over petty drinking, dancing tirade by PN lawmakers

The hornbills retaliate with strong pecking over petty drinking, dancing tirade by PN lawmakers

SARAWAKIANS like Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar have recently spoken up against both PAS and UMNO for their incessant “holier than thou” attitude towards non-Muslims.


When everything including religion is politicised, the country will move backward in time. The policing of dress code attire which began early this year did not only distract the Madani government but also irk many netizens.

The trend went unabated; instead, it continued on to another incident in Kelantan whereby a shop assistant’s shorts and t-shirt caught the eyes of the Kota Baru Municipal Council enforcement officer.


It then evolved into another policy implemented in Langkawi as well as Terengganu where even foreign tourists are not allowed to wear shorts. Malaysia is not a Taliban nation but Perikatan Nasional (PN) is increasingly flexing its muscles in the states where PAS has a grip.

What shocked most people was when Langkawi MP Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah displayed his perverted mind, by openly suggested in the Dewan Rakyat that DAP lawmaker Teresa Kok Sus Sim visit Langkawi beaches “wearing nothing”.

That this was uttered in the august house certainly does not augur well with most Malaysians. In recent months, there has been increasing number of condescending remarks made against non-Muslims in this country.

Some of these remarks were made to create a mountain out of a molehill as pointed out by FocusM reader V. Thomas.

In his recent letter to the editor, Thomas has raised the question why there is such a brouhaha over a photograph where Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who is wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) was seen appearing in a photograph with Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife.


Retort from Land of the Hornbills

Deservingly, Tourism, Culture and Arts minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing lambasted at Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin over criticisms levelled at his antics after he was caught on video participating in a dance with a group Sarawakians.

Much of the time in parliament was wasted with such frivolous remarks by the Bersatu lawmaker who has nothing better to do.

Pointing out that he is a non-Muslim, Tiong who is also the Bintulu MP lashed out at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman who accused him of being drunk by claiming that as a non-Muslim, “there’s nothing wrong with him drinking”.

Tiong further explained that he had visited Pelangai for the Lantern Festival. “I was teasing the children. What’s wrong with that? That’s Chinese culture. There are no issues with that. Don’t make up stories.”

Tiong also hit out at another Bersatu lawmaker Datuk Seri Wan Saiful Wan Jan who accused Tiong of being drunk in public places. However, Wan Saiful failed to reprimand his own colleague from Langkawi who made lewd remarks.

Perhaps, the hardest hitting torpedo came from Sarawak premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg who chided both UMNO and PAS for playing up on a lot of issues. “This is why we rejected both UMNO and PAS from entering Sarawak,” he attested in a video clip.

Since it joined the Madani government, UMNO has toned down; therefore, the said video is most likely to be an old video that is still making its round. If updated, perhaps, Abang Johari would probably replace UMNO with Bersatu.

Abang Johari aside, Sarawak’s most active activist Peter John Jaban has even demanded an apology from Mas Ermieyati on behalf of Tiong for insinuating that the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president had acted inappropriately in his official duties by over-indulging in drinking and dancing.

It goes to show that Sarawakians – like most non-Muslims in West Malaysia – cannot stand the holier-than-thou attitude of some politicians who continue to intimidate non-Muslims just to pick up a fight instead of developing the country’s economy together.

It would be interesting how this attitude which stemmed from twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Malay Supremacy (Ketuanan Melayu) concept will probably come to a head-on when a stricter Sultan Ibrahim is installed as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 31 next year.

The Johor ruler is known for his Bangsa Johor identity. Going by what the Johor Crown Prince Tengku Ismail (better known as TMJ) said about his father, it appears that not only PMX will have a tough time but also politicians who continue to play on controversies.

Malaysians at large cannot allow the trend displayed by some of these petty politicians to continue without the good forces to push it back lest the country may become another Taliban state. – Nov 3, 2023