A Tale of Two Bosom Buddies
How can a Minister from an opposing political party be ever ready to lick the boots of a leader of an opposing party or even to be in photographs that show how he is so close to not only Lim Guan Eng but also Lim Kit Siang?
Siew Boon Hock
Friendship knows no bounds but in Penang, it knows no political boundaries. In Malaysia where Barisan Nasional and DAP are poles apart in ideology, it is rare to see a BN Minister consistently speaking up in support of a DAP leader. Such a scenario has left a burning question in the minds of many. What is that innocuous inseparable tie between Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz and Chief Minister which defies logic and reason?
Recently, Nazri was in town to promote the Georgetown Festival but unofficially assumed the role of Defender of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in a few issues:
1. #1. He said the “Penang Nude Sports Games 2014” incident that went viral on social media would not affect the state’s tourism.
Reason given: “It is not part of our culture to be involved in naked water sports, and such mishaps could have had the potential to smear the reputation of state among locals,” he told reporters after attending the 228th Anniversary of Fort Cornwallis.
(NST http://tinyurl.com/obrjyvp)
Critique: Nazri seems to have forgotten that tourism involves in-bound and outbound tourists. He publicly acknowledged that the incident has affected the state’s reputation among locals which can affect local tourism. His statement can be regarded as an open admission that the prestige of the state could have been affected and Penang became infamous due to the notoriety of the incident rather than for the usual tourist appeals. Morally upright Malaysians may think twice or thrice before coming to Penang for fear that others may wonder if at all they are coming to check out ‘nudist’ activities.
Does it make sense to anyone that a Minister of Tourism and Culture could make such contradictory statements just so he could defend the negative impact of the nudist event? Well, it does if you consider the close ties he enjoys with CM Lim Guan Eng.
2. #2. In another report (http://tinyurl.com/p3p5q2k), Nazri reportedly dismissed a post by a pro-Umno blogger linking him to the nude sports games in Penang, calling the blogger “stupid.”
Reason: The accusation was baseless as he had gone to Penang to promote the George Town Festival, and that he was often there after visiting his Padang Rengas constituency in Perak. He added, “That stupid blogger has no standards, so no one needs to be bothered with his accusations.”
Critique: If that is the case, why even bother giving the blogger from his own party any airing and calling him ‘stupid’ in public statements if indeed the accusation is baseless? Why is he so apologetic about the whole incident by saying “Going naked in public is an offence, but this is not a time to blame any party. Right now, it is important that we take action against the offenders.” The defensive stance to such limits casts aspersions as to why Nazri is so defensive about the nudist sports event to air his support for Lim Guan Eng. Well, BFF!
3. #3. Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz also gave his support for the Penang government’s plan to ban foreigners from being hired as Penang street food cooks.
Reason: He said the state would be hard pressed to market the Penang street food brand if it had foreigners cooking it.”It will not be the same. I think locals must be proud that their food has made Penang famous.”I hope the younger generation will also take an interest in preserving the original flavours of the local cuisine. You cannot just let foreigners take over.
Critique: If Nazri’s reasoning (which echoes that of Lim Guan Eng) is true, then no one can ever cook any cuisine of other cultures for everyone would have to specialize in their own culture’s cuisine. Since when has there been a convention or rule that cooking can only be authentic if prepared by cooks of the original race from where the dish originated? Such absurd reasoning is not even laughable but disgraceful.
The way Nazri seems to go all out to be best friends forever with Lim Guan Eng is most dodgy. How can a Minister from an opposing political party be ever ready to lick the boots of a leader of an opposing party or even to be in photographs that show how he is so close to not only Lim Guan Eng but also Lim Kit Siang? What is the invisible link that binds these two bosom buddies together till the boundaries of political differences are blurred? Tell us, Nazri.
