I feel very sorry for the Gerakan President and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Dr.Koh Tsu Koon but he has only himself to blame for the avalanche of public odium heaped on him in the last 48 hours when he did the indefensible – defending the private screenings of the May 13 riots film, Tanda Putera.
Tsu Koon claimed that the private screening of the controversial Tanda Putera are allowed because the Cabinet decision to postpone its screening is restricted to public screenings only.
What sycophancy, hypocrisy and sophistry!
No wonder Cabinet Ministers are not the most highly regarded and respected people in Malaysia – and the Najib Cabinet makes history as the Cabinet which beats all previous Cabinets in having the most useless “deadwood”.
Even the former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir and former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin in their recent interviews took turns to scalp the Ministerial “deadwood” in the Najib Cabinet.
Mahathir fully endorsed Daim’s condemnation of the Najib Cabinet as “carrying too much deadwood” with “most are already past their use-by date”, saying caustically: “I agree entirely. Lots of deadwood should be chopped down and thrown away and new trees grown.”
I don’t think a former Prime Minister had ever been so contemptuous and dismissive of the Cabinet of the current Prime Minister which cannot but reflect on the Prime Minister’s quality and leadership.
In justifying the private screening of film Tanda Putra, whose premier had been deferred by the Cabinet because of “inappropriate” scenes in the film and the highly disputatious account of the tragedy of May 13, Tsu Koon has not been able to rebut one simple question which comes to the mind of every Malaysian, is it ok to have private screening of pornographic films?
But it is still possible for Tsu Koon redeem himself and restore some respectability among the Malaysian public.
Tsu Koon still has a last opportunity. He should demand the total suspension of the May 13 film Tanda Putra on Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting or to submit his resignation as Cabinet Minister. Is Tsu Koon capable of such a last honest and honourable stand?