DAP’s ‘Superman’ slammed for defending China’s claims
The DAP firebrand has been soundly criticised for his Facebook post apparently supporting China’s claims to the South China Sea.
(FMT) – DAP’s “Superman” Hew Kuan Yau has been slammed by netizens for a Facebook post he wrote about China’s claims to the South China Sea.
“南海是中國的！不要因為反共而反華 (The South China Sea belongs to China! Don’t oppose China just because you are anti-communist),” Hew wrote today in a terse Facebook post.
He was immediately castigated by Facebook users who disputed China’s “historical claim” to the economic rights of large swaths of the region.
“You are mad! No such thing as historical claim,” netizen Kok Shin Shan commented.
“You may hate BN but don’t disown your country’s sovereign right! I hope this is NOT DAP’s stand as far as SCS disputes are concerned.”
Netizen Alexandra Wales explained the matter for Hew’s benefit, saying that China’s claim to the South China Sea went against Malaysia’s ownership of part of the area and exclusive economic zone.
“Is this how a Malaysian citizen talks?” she asked.
“More importantly, is this what DAP endorses? The question of anti-communism or anti-China does not arise here. This is purely a matter of the law.”
Another netizen, Joe Mamak, questioned whether Hew expected the heated reaction to his statement.
“Did you stop and think how your comments could be used against you and DAP? Didn’t something similar happen recently? (How) your foul mouth got you into trouble as well as it did for DAP?
“Maybe you should really stop and think really, really hard. Are you a liability or an asset to your party.”
Facebook political commentator Lim Sian See shared a screenshot of the post, calling it “borderline treason.”
“It is a very strange declaration and is borderline treason since Malaysia is one of several countries that has a claim on parts of the disputed South China Sea,” Lim wrote in a lengthy post.
Lim sarcastically listed possible excuses for Hew’s post.
“Let’s see if the following excuses will soon be used for this post.
“1) The account is not controlled by me but by unnamed ‘fans’;
“2) ‘Siapa makan cili, dia rasa pedas.’ No need to be sensitive about this.
“3) My account got hacked.
“4) Politicians need to be able to take jokes or it will be very boring.
“5) I was misquoted or misunderstood.”
Lim called it another attempt by DAP to focus on “tried and tested race/religion issues” in order to incite hatred and get a reaction from Umno, as well as to retain the party’s Chinese voting base.
“Let’s see if the DAP committee will also similarly clear him over this treasonous post.”
Earlier, CNN reported that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague had issued a scathing legal rebuke of China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea.
Finding in favour of the Philippines, the court determined that China’s claims were a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an international agreement that specifies the rights of states over the oceans and of which 166 countries are a party, including China.
CNN said the court decided that China’s efforts to build islands far from its shores created no new legal rights and deemed illegal China’s military efforts to exclude the Philippines and other nations from fishing in the region.
