Kok not cowed by protests, police reports, Utusan editor says

(MM) – Teresa Kok’s refusal to apologise for her satirical Chinese New Year video proves the parliamentarian does not fear the 243 police reports lodged against her, an Utusan Malaysia editor suggested today.

Instead, senior editor Zulkiflee Bakar said the DAP leader has been using the criticisms to her benefit by launching more salvoes at her foes in Umno.

He noted that at least 243 police reports have been lodged over the video and a protest organised but said it was unlikely that neither Kok nor her Pakatan Rakyat (PR) colleagues felt apologetic about the matter.

“If observed closely, it is clear Teresa feels no need to apologise and instead, she has turned around to attack Umno leaders.

“In other words, it’s as though she feels not the least bit of fear over the police reports against her,” Zulkiflee wrote.

The senior editor urged for calm, however, and warned Kok’s critics away from what he described as a trap by the opposition to distract from its political maneuvers in Kajang.

“In the eagerness of several parties to protest (against Kok), we should also be careful not to get trapped in these political distractions, which have been the opposition’s ‘political weapon’ for a long time.

“Currently, the criticism aimed at Teresa is being used as an opposition ‘tool’ to counter Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) as it prepares for the Kajang by-election this March 23,” Zulkiflee wrote.

He pointed out that the opposition has been linking the protests against Kok to Umno, despite the fact that they were organised by NGOs to condemn the allegedly barbaric acts of PR’s own leaders.

Last Thursday, a group calling itself the “Council of Islamic NGOs” slaughtered live chickens in their protest against a satirical Chinese New Year video by Kok, after which they proceeded to smear the blood on a banner with images of DAP and PKR lawmakers.

The banner also warned of “nightmares” of May 13, 1969, in reference to the bloody racial riots of that year.

The group also reportedly incited physical violence against Kok, offering members of the public cash rewards to assault her.

The six Muslim groups alleged to have been involved in the protest are Pertubuhan Permuafakatan Majlis Ayahanda Malaysia (Permas), Pertubuhan Kebajikan Islam dan Dakwah (Pekida), Pertubuhan Kebajikan Insan Bakti Malaysia (Perkib), Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM) and Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM).

According to the groups, Kok’s 11-minute video uploaded last week was allegedly anti-Malay and Islam.

In the video, the MP plays the role of a feng shui talk show host interviewing three panelists on their predictions for the lunar new year.

Among others, the panelists in the clip joked about a variety of hot button topics such as education, the kidnap of a Taiwanese tourist in Sabah last year and others.

“It has been proven that Teresa’s actions have invoked public anger, and they (the public) wants to see the DAP leader taught how to respect the law,” Zulkiflee wrote.

“Regardless, we hope that all parties remain rational when dealing with this issue. This is because if they over-react, they risk falling into the trap of the opposition, who are now anxious over PKR’s political farce in Kajang.”