Just left the Christmas High Tea Reception hosted by the Christian Federation of Malaysia at Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur when I received an irate call from Penang.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who attended the Christmas Reception with his wife and a retinue of MCA Ministers and Deputy Ministers (unlike last year, when he sent the Deputy Finance Minister, Ng Yen Yen instead – causing great annoyance all-round) had left and guests could leave.
I was in DAP MP for Seputeh, Teresa Kok’s car when I got the call. It was 5.06 pm.
At first I could not make head or tail why the caller was so indignant – something about what the new Gerakan No. 1 and Penang Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon had said in his Christmas message and which appeared in New Straits Times.
I had read the Christmas messages of the Prime Minister (and blogged about it) and those of Ong Ka Ting, Samy Vellu and Lim Keng Yaik but missed Tsu Koon’s message.
The caller, a leading Penang NGO activist, poured out his fury and asked how Tsu Koon could say in his Christmas message that Malaysians, while celebrating Christmas, must respect Islam as the country’s official religion.
He said he was calling from a Christmas party and all who attended were very angry with Tsu Koon’s Christmas message, as what has celebration of Christmas got to do with Islam as the official religion.
I tended to agree but I said I had not read Tsu Koon’s Christmas message and it would not be fair for me to comment until I have read his Christmas message in its entirety. He asked me to check with New Straits Times.
When I arrived back at the DAP headquarters in Petaling Jaya, I immediately looked for a copy of the New Straits Times. I went through the pages and could not find Tsu Koon’s message. I had to check the paper a second time to find that Tsu Koon’s Christmas message was tucked away in a half-page of Christmas messages in page 2, which was dominatede by three personalities with accompanying photographs, Samy Vellu, Keng Yaik and Musa Aman (Sabah Chief Minister) and others without pictures like Ong Ka Ting.
Tsu Koon’s message was tucked away inconspicuously and without any accompanying photograph, would have been missed by most readers.
And his Christmas message was just one paragraph: “Malaysians, while celebrating Christmas, must respect Islam as the country’s official religion.” There was no larger context.
I agree with the irate caller. Tsu Koon has put his foot in his mouth once again.