Lee Way Loon
Malaysiakini
Jan 24, 2014
Under criticism from netizens and social activists, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang will be holding a dialogue session with youth in Kuala Lumpur next week to explain his suggestion that PKR’s Machang Bubuk assemblyperson Lee Khai Loon apologise.
Organised by DAP’s party organ The Rocket, the event is scheduled to be held at the party headquarters at 7 or 8pm next Tuesday.
Lim told Malaysiakini this morning that he decided to hold the event after reading a news report, in which a group of youth urged him to retract his statement last Tuesday.
“I think they probably did not look at the problem from all sides, or did not properly read the details of my statement, so I am prepared to exchange my views with them and I am prepared to listen to theirs,” he said.
However, he denied that it was a move for damage control.
Asked if he would invite Lee to attend, the Gelang Patah MP said he will leave it to The Rocket to handle but he will not extend any special invitation to anyone.
“Everyone can come as this is an open dialogue.”
Activists support Lee, blame Kit Siang
On Tuesday, Lim had urged Lee to consider apologising over the latter’s kangkung-themed flash mob targeting the prime minister on Jan 16.
He had said the flash mob was “excessive, offensive, and insensitive” and the apology should take into consideration the importance of not allowing irresponsible quarters to look for excuses to incite racial and religious hatred.
Following this, a group of 83 young activists and writers had issued a joint statement on Wednesday, urging Lim to retract his statement as he should not blame Lee for the racial threat uttered by “racists and political hooligans”.
When contacted, Eric Ng, an activist who signed the joint statement, said he has yet to get the response from other signers but he personally welcomed Lim’s initiative to meet them.
He said that as of today, there are 118 youth who have signed the joint statement and he hopes the young people can attend the discussion next week.
Meanwhile, Lee told Malaysiakini that he has not decide whether to attend the dialogue session as he is scheduled to attend some other events in his constituency on that night.
However, he expressed his appreciation for Lim’s effort to open a discussion on that issue.
“This can offer space for everyone, including youth and the public, to participate in the discussion,” he said.
He reiterated that his flash mob was aimed at highlighting the price hikes issue but unfortunately, it has been diverted by certain quarters.
Stupid demonstrations should be left for the hooligans and mat rempits of Umno and Umno youth.
Kangkung,a vegetable water spinach has brought the country to great heights,as a country famous for stupid morons and international jokers.
This kangkung thing has become a big issue for nothing.Maybe it is because of the high employment around the globe,people instead of swapping mosquitoes have turn to demonstrations as a national past time.
Much ado about nothing
Now kangkung’s price has jumped up, next will b sotong’s price
What’s d prize?
Well done Sdr. LKS, I support your position as a practical matter. Principles in this country has been trashed for too long and young idealism won’t fix it. These youth’s have a right to express their opinion but they are not the ones who will actually have to fix the problems in the end. You defended their principles each and every step on the way down to where it is when these youths were not even born and their own parents let them deteriorate to where it is and have the moral authority to make the call of what is proper way to turn things around. If these youths call for change can get their parents, uncles, grandparents and other elders to come to this meeting with you and justify they were with you all these times, then maybe they have an iota of authority to demand your retraction.
Don’t entertain all these twat heads. If they did not protest over perkasa’s offensive remarks, if they did not protest over the massive corruptions, if they did not protest over this govt malicious spendings, I say f them. These goons are a bunch of gangster with no brains.
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Don’t entertain all these twat heads. If they did not protest over perkasa’s offensive remarks, if they did not protest over the ma$$ive corruptions, if they did not protest over this govt malicious spendings, I say f them. These goons are a bunch of gangster with no brains.
Lks too nice, why cant he tell the fellow straight forward the action very rude in standard.
While LKS n others discuss dis n dat
Some Perkosa-UmnoB kaki r not concerned abt kangkung or Barang Naik
So much $$$ 2 splash n ENJOY, enjoy, ENJOY n MAKAN ANGIN, so shiok 1
Let’s all fly 2 Antarctica, fully paid 4 under d pretext of going on an official scientific STUDY trip
CORRUPT practices come so naturally n easily with kangkung, corrupt Perkosa-UmnoB kaki
The kangkung issue,of course, puts the PM in an enviable position; literally make him look very small but isn’t BN should be blamed? They have taken Malaysians to be childish; easily bought with sweets or sweet talk: hence the Kangkung Issue. Having seen the reaction of the public, instead of apologizing they send out Gestapoes to try to raise the heat by talking of May 13th! I just wonder how much longer would they make fools of themselves in the eye of the world!
Just replace that Stewardest with Najib, you catch my drift?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd6aLnPHqeE
Mr Lim,
I was extremely hesitant to make this comment because this is probably the first time I have ever disagreed with you on your blog.
It is your blog and I realise that disagreement with you can be seen as rudeness after you have extended me the privilege of participation.
But you have asked for an open discussion on this matter and I am taking up your offer on face value :)
So, allow me to apologise and I will try not to make it a habit of disagreeing with you :)
Personally, I don’t believe that Lee Khai Loon has anything to apologise for.
Najib Razak is a public figure and I see no reason why he cannot be parodied.
Yourself, Barack Obama, the Queen of England, David Cameron, Angela Merkle, and even Vladimir Putin have all be parodied in one form or another. Yes, I thought I’d include you amongst such elite and esteemed company where you rightly belong :)
OK, it might be unadvisable to make too much fun of Putin, but I have seen his cartoon on protest placards in Russia.
The point I am making is that beyond wounding the pride of aforementioned people, who are public figures after all, such forms of protests are totally within the bounds of good public order.
Furthermore, Lee encapsulated most of what has been already in the public domain, eg Najib said he liked eating kangkung, there have been numerous articles quoting Marie Antoinette and her “let them eat cake”, etc.
IMHO, to call for another May 13 because of a parody is a completely disproportionate response.
As it is, I am aware that you are trying to resolve the tensions created in the aftermath of the “kangkung stuffing” protest, so I am more than willing to await your reasonings for why you would consider Lee’s actions to be “excessive, offensive and insensitive”.
I would also like to commend you on being pro-active in pursuing a more matured level of political debate.
Thanks.
for the sake of power keeping umno in control, abdul rahman expelled singapore from the federation. now, will umno expell sabah and sarawak (to expell majority christians) in order to enforce ‘all-ah for malay only’ policy?