Law lecturer Shamsher Singh Thind, a delegate of the DAP’s Chai Leng Park branch, said the mere thought of DAP in alliance with Mahathir and his party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), was deplorable.
Quoting a party leader’s explanation about the cooperation with PPBM, Shamsher said: “The stupidest answer I have heard in defence of supporting Mahathir would be ‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend.’
“My foot, I say!”
He described as “cringeworthy” Mahathir’s recommendation of former deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin as a future prime minister if the opposition alliance wins the general election. Muhyiddin is now president of PPBM.
Lashing out at the DAP’s support of Muhyiddin, Shamser brought up the former Umno leader’s support of the controversial novel Interlok in the school curriculum.
“In that novel, Indians were called pariahs. And what Muhyiddin says? He said it was okay and it was part of history. And when (DAP parliamentary leader) Lim Kit Siang asked whether Muhyiddin was Malaysian first, Muhyiddin said he was Malay first,” said Shamsher at the Penang DAP’s annual delegates’ conference.
Shamsher also quoted the Aesop fable ‘The Farmer and the Viper’, about someone who is bitten by a serpent after nursing it back to health. “This snake is Mahathir,” he said. “Hey you veterans, are not you ashamed of yourself? When we have fought to defeat Mahathir, our declared enemy, now you are friends? He is like a pimp.” Shamsher said to a startled leadership lineup on the dais.
In an unusual move, Guan Eng, the party secretary-general, stopped Shamsher at this point, asking him to retract the words “snake” and “pimp”, reminding Shamsher that the DAP should not stoop to using disparaging words.
“We can criticise. Let us not follow the style of BN (Barisan Nasional), Jamal (Red Shirts leader) and others. You should not have used words like pimp and snake. When they go low, we go high,” said Lim. “You are a lecturer, I am sure you would not encourage your students to talk like that? Treat this like a lecture hall. Show you are a bigger man and retract those two words, and you can carry on criticising whoever you want.”
In his defence, Shamsher said he had used the words as mere similes, and pointed out that Lim had no right to interrupt him while he was speaking in the debate.
“I will not retract. Only the convention speaker (Wong Shu Qi, Senai assemblyperson) has the right to do so, I will not retract even if she asks me to.” Shamser said. Wong remained silent at this point.
After Guan Eng’s interjection, Shamsher retracted the words out of respect and said: “Sorry for offending anyone, but I hope my message is clear.”
In response to Shamsher’s remarks, state party committee member RSN Rayer said Shamsher ought to forgive and forget, just as senior party members had done.
“The late Karpal Singh had said that in politics, there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies…but permanent principles.
“Even Kit Siang who was jailed under internal security laws for two years can support Mahathir, why can’t you?” Rayer said.
RELATED: