According to Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz, every political party, including his own, has “mad men” like Hew.

“There are so many mad people like this. Even Umno has some.

“That’s why we have laws, such as the Sedition Act, to protect society against them,” he said when contacted by FMT.

The Umno Supreme Council member was commenting on Hew’s Facebook post where the latter had said the South China Sea belonged to China, and that those who opposed this were anti-communist.

Hew also courted controversy during the recent Sarawak state election when a video surfaced online in which he was seen urging Chinese voters in Batu Kitang to back Abdul Aziz Isa of DAP, so the latter could “screw the Malays”, and “screw the corrupt Malay officials” if he made it to the state assembly.

Nazri said while it was up to the party to decide if action should be taken against Hew, members of the public who might have been offended by any insensitive remarks the Opposition politician had made, could refer the matter to the authorities.

“They can lodge a report with the police who can then decide on the appropriate course of action. But I’m used to crazy people like this.

“I’ve been in politics for more than 30 years and there have always been those who are consistently seeking attention.”

Efforts by FMT to obtain a comment from Hew were unsuccessful.