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Khairy & Ling Jr: Just "Eat, Drink, Play and be Merry"?

By making the Chinese community his bogeyman, is the famous Son-in-Law fanning up racial sentiments to pep up his political fortune?

Pemuda Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin, besieged under Mahathir's attack, has turned to the Chinese community as his political scapegoat, only to find himself landed with a boot in the mouth.

August 18, Khairy used an Umno platform in Kedah to warn his party members that Chinese Malaysians would exploit the current infighting within the ruling party to advance their community’s interests. Quote Malaysiakini:

“The internal split within Umno will weaken the party’s position and this will pave way for the Chinese Malaysians to make various demands to benefit their community,” Khairy was quoted as saying by Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily.

“The MCA ministers who have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) earlier this year to demand for Chinese community’s rights was the result of Umno being in a weak position,” the report added.

Khairy also argued that Umno woes have created a similar situation as in 1999 - when the Malaysian Chinese Election Appeals Committee (Suqiu) made a set of “demands” when Umno was divided following a fallout between then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim.

The veteran and the youth wings of the Chinese-based BN component parties have taken the Son-in-Law to task. See SK Thew and Rocky's Bru, and Oriental Daily News on this.

To allay the component parties' displeasure, Pemuda Umno chief Hishammuddin Hussein had to come out with a statement saying it was up to his deputy to convince Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders that he did not intend to offend them. Quote Malaysiakini:

Commenting on Khairy’s defence that his controversial remarks at a recent Umno meet had been misinterpreted, Hishammuddin said: “If he said he has been misunderstood, then I believe he has been misunderstood.”

As to whether he would instruct his deputy to apologise, he said: “I don’t instruct anybody to do anything especially when it involves his personal views.”

“It’s for him (Khairy) to satisfy our friends in the component parties that what was reported is not what it seems. There are people who have looked at it from a racial point, we have to convince them [...] It’s a learning process for Khairy,” he said at a joint press conference of BN Youth wings at the Parliament lobby.

Khairy, who later claimed that his statement was misinterpreted, said his remarks were aimed at uplifting the spirit of Umno and not to jeopardise the spirit of unity within BN.

Ling clarified

So, did the 'misunderstood' Khairy explain his position to his compatriots in the youth wings of the BN component parties? Malaysiakini asked MCA Youth Chief, deputy minister Liow Tiong Lai, for his response. Quote:

Met by reporters later, Liow declined to comment on whether MCA Youth accepted Khairy’s explanation but said Khairy had communicated with him “on the instruction of Hishammuddin”.

On the other hand, Khairy has reportedly explained his position to MCA Youth deputy Ling Hee Leong, the eldest son of former party president Dr Ling Liong Sik who was noted for his "Eat, Drink, Play and be Merry" political philosophy. Quote Malaysiakini:

According to media reports today, Hee Leong had clarified that Khairy had no intention to hurt the feelings of the Chinese Malaysian community, and that the two of them had agreed to “look forward to the greater interest of the nation”.

However, Ling's version was not acceptable to MCA Youth Secretary-General, Dr Wee Ka Siong as it "does not represent MCA Youth’s stand". Quote:

“It was a private meeting between them as friends. The matter should be sorted out through the proper channel, which is Barisan Nasional Youth,” said MCA Youth secretary-general Dr Wee Ka Siong.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby today, he conceded that there was “nothing wrong” for the duo to meet to discuss the matter.

“(But Khairy) cannot just find someone (Hee Leong) who accepts his explanation and then take it as the end of the issue,” he said.

Media reports indicate that MCA Youth has questioned Khairy's sincerity by meeting only its Nombor Two, Ling, instead of meeting the movement.

MCA Youth chief Liow was quoted as saying that Khairy's making the Chinese his bogeyman has affected the entire community and the party, thus it is not a simple case of explaining it to an individual from the party.

Khairy 'misunderstood'

To Khairy's assertion that his speech in Kedah was misunderstood, Wee said there was no inconsistency in newspaper reports about what Khairy said and they (media) can’t be fabricating the stories together.

"The media should reveal tape recordings of what Khairy said,” Wee suggested.

On the displeasure aroused by Khairy who made the Chinese the bogeyman, Wee also elaborated that the MCA Youth did not accept Khairy’s explanation. Quote:

“Our chief Liow Tiong Lai has denied that MCA Youth agrees with the MIC Youth stand, which was to fully accept Khairy’s explanation that his statement had been misinterpreted by the media and BN leaders,” said Wee.

Asked what MCA Youth wants from Khairy, Wee said: “We want Khairy to understand that he must be responsible for his remarks, which are untrue.”

He reiterated that the remarks had caused unhappiness in MCA Youth and that heated debate is expected on the issue at the wing’s annual general meeting on Friday.

MCA and Gerakan leaders criticised Khairy’s statement as “immature and uncalled for”, and the issue was given prominent coverage by Chinese-language dailies last Sunday.

As the spat goes on, we are 10 days away from the 49th anniversary of Merdeka.

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Comments

Folks

The son in law is up to mischief and dangerously so.

We would like to hear STRONG COMMENTS from;MCA Youth.

MCA should demand the arrogant upstart son in law to apologise and withdraw his comments or MCA should quit the BARISAN NATIONAL.

As I said before, UMNO Youth is THE PROBLEM to the RACIAL UNITY in this country, and NOT a solution.

The Oxford trained upstart son in law is playing dangerous politics.

By the way, he should know that his FATHER IN LAW the PM has Chinese blood flowing his veins, and so is his wife.

We all damned for having a young upstart son in law with political and familial connections to the PM trying to instigate racial ill-feelings among the Malays against the Chinese in this country, and vice versa.

He should be carpeted by his father in law cum Prime Minister ie Pak Lah.

What the hell politikus always think they can hijack public opinion by "representing the group".

BTW, I am bored to repeat this story :
An Oxford graduate cannibal invite his classmate to his tribe. To his friend suprise, the Oxford graduate cannibal still practice cannibalism. His friend ask ,"After so many in Oxford, your still didn't grasp the idea of civilasation? "

The Oxford graduate cannibal says,"Indeed, the education works. Now I cannibalise with spoon and fork ".

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=215070

sorry jeff..unrelated but hilarious.

they are always misquoted and misunderstood. for their ways are not our ways and their thots are not our thots. they are from a higher species. Not from OX-Ford but BULL-FORD. They can turn sh*t into gold. SO therefore, lets eat, drink and be merry. Miracles do happen.

please name me a current umno leader who doesn't or didn't play the racial, them-against everyone-else, card. just to start off....
ex-pm dr.m got to where he was by playing the dilemma-513-nep card again tunku.
anwar wasn't particularly tolerent during his umno-youth day either.

KJ is playing racial politics. He should be a JANTAN and stand by his words. Why be a pengecut and say misunderstood etc. He is trying to change the subject from the issue DrM has raised about him and FIL.

Well wonder what FIL is saying since he claims he is PM for ALL Malaysian!!!

BTW it is ok when UMNO is strong to press and squeeze the non Malays. Right KJ? So it is a one way thing right. The non Malays are expandable. Why don't you just declare apartheid in Malaysia since the non Malays are the cause for all the weakness of Malays. Just do it, no need to wave a Keris.

Terbilang..memang terbilang KJ. Terbilang tipu helah...

rocky is absolutely right. KJ is playing racial politics. these people who 'cakap banyak' are usually cowards. when get caught, always like to say they were misunderstood/misinterpret.

remember earlier when KJ sold of his ecm shares? he had also made some racial remarks about selling to a malay instead of chinese.

don't tell me FIL is going to keep an elegant silent on what his SIL said?

I am getting more and more cheesed off with this Khairy chap, and his cheap tricks.

(And also at Pak Lah for not reining in Kahiry in his capacity as PM, as father-in-law, and as UMNO president. Aiyah, kasi ketuk cukup-cukup sama dia lah, Pak Lah)

In the light of the various reports available, I think Kahiry was not misquoted. More likely he is now trying to backpedal and cover his racist remarks with flimsy words which no one, save for certain MCA 'leaders', will buy.

Unlike Dr 'Melayu mudah lupa' M, I will again try my best not to lupa. Especially in about a year's time (or at the most, two) when UMNO led BN again goes around trying to pancing undi.

If Khairy happens to stand in my constituency, I shall try my best to attend his ceramah, with a couple of choice questions in mind. Failing that, I shall re-direct said questions to the BN candidate in my area. I shall try my very best not to forget.

I would agree that both TDM and Anwar also played the same trick while they were climbing the political ladder.

But thta was before 2000,when we ended the 20th century and crossed over to the 21st.

KJ should be told in no uncertain term that the rule does not apply any more.

Why should we not be making progress?There is absolutely no reason to play the same old trick!

Folks

The famous upstart son in law is an OPPORTUNIST, and a dangerous one at that after his once too often play on racial sensitivities in his public remarks.

He is a political opportunist which Dr M is talking about.

He is a corporate opportunist using his father in law's influence and in cahoot with other corporate vultures to enrich himself by circumventing the national laws and regulations.

He is a young man that is in a hurry to be a multi multimillionnaire and an UMNO Leader to be the future PM.

It is timely that Dr M decides to make his pursuit to that this young man out of the political equation in the country.

The damage that had been caused is already bad enough and we cannot further afford any more damage by fuelling racially-based sentiments to tend to incite divisiveness among Malaysian communities.

Khairy is just following the footsteps of his predecesors to the top.One man played the same card much earlier against the Tunku and became the PM and stayed their for 22 years.Oxford and Cambridge education has not changed their mindset and the way they see look upon the nonmalays in the country.
The question on everybody's mind is what will the MCA do about this most provocative statement from the SIL.Will they meekly make a few statements,put their tails between their legs and run to Putrajaya and fall under the feet of Abdullah and apologise for the Chinese behaviour? Or will they demand a public apology and demand a retraction of the offensuve statements, failing which walk out of the BN.
That will be too much to expect from MCA judging from their past behaviour.

Ling Hee Leong defended his "Eat, drink and be merry" in the run-up to the MCA Youth elections by saying he needed to get close to the "young MCA grassroots"; so if the majority of these MCA youths returned him as Number 2, Ling Jr had been "resuscitated" since the 1997/98 market crash following which he "disappaered" from Malaysian shores (along with one Datuk Soh Chee Wen, remember?)

What hopes is there for our "Chinese" youth with Ling Jr as a "role model"? Follow him in his footsteps as youngest billionaire-at-27, Youn Men? But did/you have a father as a former MCA President and TRansport Minister. To be or not to be (Bitten twice...) -- that's the question for all MCA Youths. Perhaps, look to your MCA Youth chief -- he's MORE in tune with our times which is 21st century, not the Ling's "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" times -- thanks Jeff, for adding "Play" -- playing his own members out too?

if umno youth does not kick out this guy during their assembly, the rakyat would be glad to do so to those who kept him in.

bn and umno, you better watch out. my reading from mingling with those oldies and newbies that does not even surf the internet in kampungs and bandars is very clear, malay or what not: this guy will bring your nightmare by election time.

unless i mingle with the wrong crowd la....

Can this guy do something positive for once. First he tried to pick on the Jews and now the Chinese. Is this guy the re-incarnation of Hitler or what?? Or is he dropping the kris on his foot? You'd expect more from someone who had the opportunity to obtain tertiary education.

I agree that KJ is a good student of TM indeed,but trouble is they are not linked by blood.

Imagine if KJ were his son,would it be a different story?

These old tricks don't work in this age anymore, dude.

Malaysians are an educated lot now.

Young and brash.

Worse, FIL/PM/UMNO Boss isn't doing anything about him.

Even worse, FIL may be influenced/'advised' by him instead.

c'mon guys there's hope - esp for those of you who thinks dr.m and anwar are/were better leader than aab. kj is the kind of man you want! he's an opportunists like the previous two, and by some standards, it implys that he should make a better leader than aab who is not known for such "leader-like" behaviours such as stepping on people to climb up, stabbing on the back of people in front, use the innocent as shield, say one thing to one group of people and turn around to say something else to another group... and so on.

I wonder what Khairy studied at Oxford? First he couldn't count the losses for sale of ECM Libra shares and now cannot comprehend his own speech. It's always "I was misquoted" How can that be when it is recorded on tape unless he is talking with forked tongue, left side said one thing while the right side said another thing. No wonder Oxford and Cambridge are struggling to be in the top 100 universities with Khairy as a graduate. Be a man and stand up and apologize if you had said the wrong thing.

Khairy, you are playing with fire [ DELETED]

As we move ever closer to our 49th year of independence, it is sad to see that there are still people that creates the distinction between the Malays and non-Malays. Just like Hishamuddin Hussein brandishing the keris proclaiming Ketuanan Melayu and not forgetting the ignoramus totalus rambling by Badruddin Amiruldin, “Malaysia Ini Negara Islam - You Tak Suka, You Keluar Dari Malaysia”. Now we have Khairy Jamaluddin with his racial innuendos targeted specifically to Malaysian Chinese.

The last time I checked my identity card, it clearly states that I am a warganegara Malaysia. I think these gents as mentioned above, fail to remember that Malaysia is where it is today because of everyone, the warganegara or citizens of Malaysia, irrespective of race.

Malaysians achieved independence together so why the need for archaic labels such Malaysian Chinese when we are all bangsa Malaysia.

For a change, I want to see someone other than our esteemed Prime Minister preach about a united Malaysia. I want our leaders support Abdullah Badawi’s vision instead of debunking his words. On one hand, we have unanimous support while on the other, we have contradictions.

Sometimes, I worry the direction Malaysia is heading with all these extremist and insensitive leaders who only thinks about themselves and couldn’t care less about the rest of us warganegara Malaysia yang bukan Melayu.

If things continue at this rate, come 2009, I will no longer consciously choose a party that is suppose to lead me and have my interest at heart.

Again, it will be "semuanya ok" after all the hoo-haa.

But do give the young man credit, he choose the right "counterpart" to consult in MCA. Eat drink play and be merry, and then Semuanya ok.
With his brilliance, I think he deserve more than Ecm libra shares.

Even bully in the UPM fracas can get away without a slap on the wrist, this guy is the FSIL, what could actually happen?

Imagine, the scenario is committed by another party, I think very drastic measure would have already been taken.

Well, This is Malaysia, the institutionalised race-based governance in the world. I still remember we condemned S.africa for its policy and that place was off-limits years back.

Well, Happy 49th Merdeka, if you are really that happy.

Reality is, racial problem EXISTS in Malaysia, in all forms possible. Let's not deny this okay?

Reason? Different perception to life, different approach to living, and loads others.

Malays feel disturbed for their own reasons, Chinese and Indians feels somewhat neglected yet, some succeed in some form or rather, the other races and aborigines have some problems of their own as well.

Solution? Realisation that racial problem exists, and to address them accordingly. For a start, why not have affordable housing, food, free education and other basic amneties for the masses first? This will pacify loads of issues. Then we could work on other stuffs.

mamatd

To solve racial problems in Malaysia.

Get rid of the present bunch of UMNO YOuth leaders, restructure their organisation and mandate, include the list to the castrated MCA Youth and the dumb and deaf MIC youth.

Better still, ban all RACE-BASED POLITICAL PARTIES... the very institutional structures in our body politics that fan racial differences, greed and suspicions.

They are no more relevant in modern day Malaysia.

But how do you get rid of these political parties whose raison d'etre is to widen racial differences and fears between communities.

Malaysia will be forever a racially-divided society into many more generations until Malaysians will rise up realise on the need to constitutionally ban ALL RACE-BASED POLITICAL PARTIES.
These parties are the source of the ill-will between races in Malaysia, in whichever way you want to look.

They remain in power by playing the carrot and stick within and between races. Their existence is based on our citizens assumption that they are the only ones to provide the balancing act, which is a myth. They create the fears so that they present themselves as the fulcrum for racial harmony. Its crap... crap which Malaysians have ingested and digested pretty well over the last 40 years.

i totally agree with Frank & Honest.
Race-based political parties is hurting our country. It may have been necessary pre-independence, when the different ethnic groups needed leaders who will be able to empathise, understand and even communicate with them in a way that these people understand.
Fast forward 50 years to today, we definitely DONT NEED that.
there's no more China mari, or India mari (although there's Indonesia mari, but that's another story).
We are born Malaysian and the only way of life for the majority of Malaysians alive today, is the MALAYSIAN way of life!
This the only country we call home.
And suddenly, after all these years of schooling and mixing around, negaraku, rukun negara, etc, you are then taught and told that actually you are quite different; that things are not actually the same; that you are actually entitled to lesser (or more), depending on the colour of your skin.
How are we going to move forward?
Especially when the majority of the developing countries, even across the causeway, are happily offering citizenship to anyone with the brains, regardless their colour?
We are not OK.

“The internal split within Umno will weaken the party’s position and this will pave way for the Chinese Malaysians to make various demands to benefit their community,” Khairy was quoted.
So non-malays arent allowed to progress huh? Is benifiting the Chinese community so horrifying to UMNO? I hate the opression here. Thank goodness i'm emigrating. goodbye Malaysia.

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