An Islamic NGO is offering a RM1,200 reward for anyone who publicly slaps opposition MP, Teresa Kok, who posted a controversial Chinese New Year video titled “Onederful Malaysia”, and the Malaysian Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says that offering a reward to slap her is not, at all, a threat.
Teresa Kok, national vice-chair of the Democratic Action Party, has been accused of insulting Malays and the religion of Islam in the CNY video.
Up to 300 police reports have been lodged against the video, a play on the government’s ‘1Malaysia’ campaign, which utilizes a talk show format to poke fun at various Malaysian issues.
Teresa mentioned that the video is a satirical attack on government issues, and the race controversy is being used by the UMNO party to distract from that.
“[It is] a distraction, so that the Malay people especially, they will just…look at me, a Chinese, a Christian from DAP, as a racist,” she said.
“They will just focus to attack me, and forget about the real problems that are in UMNO and also in Barisan Nasional government, to try to distract the attention of the Malay audience.”
Six Muslim NGOs, categorized under the ‘Council of Islamic NGOs’, has held a protest in which it slaughtered two live chickens and smeared the blood on a banner with images of the opposition.
The same group also offered a RM1,200 reward to anyone prepared to slap Kok in public and record it on a smartphone to attest it.
They also used the May 13, 1969 racial riots as a reference and stated that the blood “should easily be understood”.
Kok is definitely shocked by all the reaction that’s been directed to her.
“They accused me for running down the Malays, Islam, the Prime Minister Najib [Razak] – all these accusations are untrue,” she said.
“In fact, you know, when I say I’m surprised, it was because in last year’s general elections, there were numerous songs, video clips that mentioned all these issues.
“So these are not issues that are new for that reason, and also for the Malaysian public – so why this time the reaction was so strong?”
She has also lodged a police report, but Home Minister, Zahid has dismissed the need for an investigation.
“If they issued a death threat, then it would be a threat,” he told local reporters. “Slapping is not.”
Zahid also said an investigation has been launched by the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission into the allegations against the video. DAP leader, Lim Kit Siang has promised that he would ask Kok to withdraw the video if the allegations are proven.
