Malaysian appeal to name pandas backfires
(The Telegraph) – A Facebook appeal by Malaysia’s leader for help naming two young Chinese pandas has drawn ridicule with users seizing the opportunity to take shots at the government.
Premier Najib Razak posted a message on his Chinese-language Facebook page Wednesday seeking help naming the pandas, which China will send to Malaysia for 10 years in the latest chapter in Beijing’s “panda diplomacy.”
More than 300 people commented by Thursday, with many alluding to government corruption or other sensitive political issues.
One user suggested naming the pandas “Bersih” and “Stop-Lynas”.
“Bersih” is the name of an NGO coalition that organised a huge April 28 rally for free and fair elections that saw clashes with police, while the other name refers to a controversial rare earths plant being built in eastern Malaysia by Australian mining firm Lynas Corp.
Another suggested “Altantuya,” the first name of a Mongolian woman who was murdered in Malaysia in 2006 in a highly sensitive case.
