SEBERANG JAYA: It is an insult to compare the Seafield temple issue with Malaysia’s loss to Vietnam in the recently concluded AFF Championships.
Former PKR Youth deputy chief Dr Afif Bahardin said the national unity issue was far more important and superior compared with the biennial football competition organised by the ASEAN Football Federation and contested by the national teams of Southeast Asia.
“It is different if we lost (AFF Championships) and demanded the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waythamoorthy’s resignation.
“It is an insult for us to compare what happened at the Seafield temple with the AFF Championships, as we are talking about how to break the racial walls,” he said when met during a walkabout at Pasar Seberang Jaya here today.
Yesterday, DAP’s Bukit Gelugor member of parliament Ramkarpal Singh criticised Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman who demanded Waytha Moorthy’s removal.
Ramkarpal had said that Syed Saddiq’s suggestion that Waytha Moorthy ought to be solely blamed for the Seafield temple issue and, therefore ought to resign, was as correctly pointed out by some Netizens, akin to demanding Syed Saddiq’s resignation for Malaysia’s loss to Vietnam in the recently concluded AFF Championships.
Meanwhile, Dr Afif, who is also the state executive councillor, refused to be drawn in debate on Syed Saddiq defending his move to demand Waytha Moorthy’s resignation.
He, however, said he does not see Syed Saddiq’s action as insulting Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s decision in appointing Waytha Moorthy as the minister in-charge of unity.
“It is not a question of insulting a decision or not. In the new Malaysia, whatever decision made is not necessarily correct.
“So we need to be big-hearted to correct the wrong. This is what differentiates us from the previous administration,” he added.
Ramkarpal’s statement came hot on the heels of Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy’s, who chided Syed Saddiq following a memorandum submitted by several Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Youth exco members calling for the resignation of Waytha Moorthy.
Ramasamy had also said that Bersatu’s Youth wing, including its chief Syed Saddiq, should be reprimanded for demanding Waytha Moorthy’s resignation over the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim who was assaulted while on duty during the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple riot last month.
Syed Saddiq had then retaliated by saying he was prepared to face action if what he did was wrong but would not apologise for speaking his mind, and cautioned Ramasamy against thinking he could be silenced.
Besides Syed Saddiq, Dr Afif had also called on the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader’s resignation.
