YB DATO’ SERI NAZRI ATTACKS ON KUOK PERHAPS REFLECTS THE RULING COALITION’S DESPERATION TO REMAIN IN POWER.

5^th March 2018

PRESS STATEMENT BY:-

TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.

CHAIRMAN – SOCIAL CARE FOUNDATION

YB DATO’ SERI NAZRI ATTACKS ON KUOK PERHAPS REFLECTS THE RULING COALITION’S DESPERATION TO REMAIN IN POWER.

PETALING JAYA, 5 March 2018: Recent attacks against Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok led by none other than UMNO stalwart cum Tourism and Culture Minister Dato Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, reflects the ruling coalition’s desperation to remain in power, at all cost.

Outspoken social activist Tan Sri Robert Phang reckoned that the hostile remarks levelled against Kuok based on some false allegations made by fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK), may be a ‘politically-motivated-and- premeditated’ ploy to whip up anti-Chinese sentiments ahead of the country’s general election.

In three articles published in his blog Malaysia Today between February 21 and 23, RPK has accused Kuok of trying to overthrow the BN government in the next general election by funding DAP, which both Kuok and DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang have categorically denied. Kuok is also currently looking into legal action against RPK.  Some political observers have described the attacks on Kuok as a piece of political opportunism to hit out at the Chinese-majority opposition DAP and stoke Malay fears of a Chinese takeover.

In his follow-up statement issued today, Phang who is also a founder and chairman of the Social Care Foundation, said the recent attempt by Nazri trying to pit one community against another showed that some political leaders in the ruling coalition have lost their moral compass in their desperation to remain in power.  “This (move of using Kuok to whip up anti-Chinese sentiments) is a very irresponsible, dangerous and despicable move that should be downright denounced by each and every right-thinking and peace-loving Malaysian, regardless of one’s race and religious background.

“It has become even more urgent now that we, Malaysians of all races, must unite against those power-crazy politicians who have no qualms to inflict chaos and serious harms to the nation and the people, in order to achieve their selfish agendas,” he asserted.  He also advised the Chinese community, the leaders especially, to remain calm and not to overreact to the issue, so as not to fall into the entrapment of the perpetrators.  “In fact, the best way to punish this bunch of unscrupulous politicians is to vote them out in the coming general election,” he reiterated.

He went on to note that the subsequent ‘show of protest’ conveniently put up by various MCA leaders against Nazri, inevitably gave many an impression that the whole episode could be just another ‘good cop vs bad cop’ play act designed to portray MCA as the ‘protector and defender’ of the Chinese community.

   

Phang who is also a former Panel Commissioner of Malaysia Anti-Crime Commission and executive council member of the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation also said he felt sorry for Kuok that he had to endure such an unnecessary-and-outrageous attack by BN leaders, close to labeling him as a traitor, when the whole world recognized his enormous contributions to Malaysia, through his many business ventures that undeniably helped create jobs for Malay­sians and promote growth in local industries.

Meanwhile, Phang also urged civil society organizations (CSOs) in the country to come out in full force to state their disapproval against such malicious move of using Kuok to fan racial sentiment.  “In fact, we Malaysians of all races, should put on record that we shall hold Nazri responsible should there be any social unrest in the country due to this event. It’s puzzling that Nazri’s reason for not apologizing was because he relied on the fugitive blogger’s comments, which Kuok had categorically denied and in the midst of looking into initiating legal action against the said blog.

“It’s further confusing because Nazri has chosen to assume that the blogger’s comments were the truth when BN has been lamenting that fake news are rampant in the social media. In the past, the same blogger was accused by BN for blowing up faked news. How can the same blogger be trusted when he was accused otherwise in the past?” said Phang. He nonetheless believes under the circumstances, majority of the right-thinking Malaysian would like to ensure that Malaysia is a beautiful place to live with lasting harmony amongst all the races.

He also cited the famous quote by Roman Statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero – that “A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.” to describe those in the corridors of power who are willing to pawn the nation and the people, in order to achieve their political agenda.

Cicero was quoted to have said during one of his speeches in the Roman Senate: “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague."

“Nazri, stop all your nonsense and kurang ajar attitude or you will have to pay for the price.  If you do not apologize, for sure BN is going to lose more seats.  Can you afford to bear the responsibility? Perhaps our able Prime Minister should be seen to be doing the right thing in a more convincing way this time, such as removing this ‘loose cannon’ from the Cabinet and stripping him of his ministerial post. I believe many right-thinking Malaysians would also agree with me that we should not have a thuggish character as our Minister of Tourism and Culture,” he concluded.

 Thank you and God bless.

 “HUMBLENESS IS A GOOD VIRTUE, ARROGANCE SHALL FALL AND THE MEEK WILL RULE THE WORLD”.

Tan Sri Datuk Robert Phang Miow Sin.

Justice of the Peace.