DAP defends Sarawak Report
Teo Nie Ching slams minister for claim that Sarawak Report was rude to Rosmah Mansor, comparing it to Red Shirts’ leader Ali Tinju’s ‘threat’ against Maria Chin.
(FMT) – DAP’s Teo Nie Ching has told Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak to look at his own backyard first before accusing others of stalking and harassing.
She was referring to Salleh accusing journalists from whistleblower site Sarawak Report (SR) of stalking and harassing Prime Minister Najib Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor, who is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom.
The Kulai MP reminded Salleh of the even more dangerous and threatening antics of those who support his party, Umno, against social activist and Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah.
“Salleh has conveniently forgotten, when Maria Chin was harassed by Mohd Ali Baharom, better known as Ali Tinju, none of the Umno leaders had stood up and reprimanded Ali Tinju,” Teo said, referring to the Red Shirts leader.
“So I want to ask Salleh, does he think that only Rosmah and her kind have the right to demand decorum and manners from others, but ordinary people like Maria Chin do not?
“What Maria Chin went through was far worse than what Salleh alleged Rosmah had experienced in London.”
Salleh had written in his blog last night that SR journalists had demonstrated “an absolute lack of decorum and manners while harassing Rosmah”.
“We would expect people from so-called civilised England to at least show respect to the wife of a foreign prime minister, but apparently diplomacy is reserved only for their own kind.”
“The Sarawak Report people were absolutely rude. And the fact they felt they have a right to be rude demonstrates the low class of people we are dealing with,” Salleh said.
Teo, who is DAP assistant national publicity secretary, said there is no comparison between what Salleh alleges SR journalists have done and what Ali Tinju did to Maria.
“Ali Tinju had reportedly said that Maria ‘tidak akan berjalan di atas bumi’ (Maria will no longer walk on this earth) in September last year.
“If this is not a death threat, tell me what is? Does Salleh not think that Ali Tinju was absolutely rude and low class?” Teo said.
She added that unlike in Malaysia, where a report against Ali Tinju’s threat was dismissed by the public prosecutor and classified as NFA (no further action), in the UK, if there was something as serious done by the SR journalists, there would be action taken by the police.
“So, if Salleh thinks that people from all walks of life should be treated with decorum and respect, I would like him to join me in urging the Public Prosecutor to reconsider the case against Ali Tinju.
“Otherwise, Salleh is not as civilised as he thought he is, but merely a Rosmah loyalist.”
