Own up to drink habit, Kit Siang dares Umno men
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — The DAP parliamentary leader, Lim Kit Siang, today challenged Umno ministers to declare if they had drunk alcohol in their youth, following recent attacks on Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s past dalliance with the bottle.
The veteran lawmaker said that the Cabinet would be half-empty if drinking alcohol “incapacitates one from holding office.”
Lim also questioned whether alcohol consumption fell within Section 6 of the Whistleblowers Protection Bill.
“Do the drinking habits of MPs fall under this term, as this has become the weapon used by Barisan Nasional in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign in its alcohol attack on the Pakatan Rakyat candidate, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, [by] calling him ‘a drunkard.’
“I challenge Umno and Muslim ministers, in particular, the Umno Youth leader and MP for Rembau, Khairy Jamaluddin; the Minister in the Prime Minister’s department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz; the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein; the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin; and the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak whether they dare to declare that they had never drank alcohol in their youth in the past,” he said during the debate for the second reading of the Whistleblowers Protection Bill.
Under Clause 6 (2) (b) of the Bill, it is stated that whistleblowers can reveal any improper conduct even prior to the commencement of the law — rendering it retroactive if passed.
Lim also labelled the Umno-led Barisan Nasional as desperate in the Hulu Selangor by-election, for resorting to “gutter politics”.
“If having had drinks in the past incapacitates one from holding office, then we will lose half the Cabinet as well as the Malaysian Ambassador to the United States and we will need to have a by-election in Rompin.
“Let us have higher standards in politics and elections, as it is the avenue to serve to people and nation and not to indulge in personal attacks and character assassinations.
“We can do the same but we refuse to do so. Zaid has regretted his drinks in his youth. But he has gone one step further to declare that he will not follow the gutter politics of the Umno leaders,” he said.
