vox populi small thumbnail 'Soi Lek, what words - if 'certain words should be considered taboo' - are not considered taboo by Umno?'

Soi Lek: Certain words should be taboo

Phra Ong Chao: MCA chief Chua Soi Lek, if you don't want to hear those words being used to refer to you in a bad way, leave BN now. If you stay with Umno, I will certainly take it as proof that you like being called a ‘pendatang dan penumpang yang terhutang budi dengan Umno tetapi kurang patriotik kerana tidak menyokong ketuanan Melayu'.

Rolls-Royce: Do you know Soi Lek, each time a national unity issue is discussed, the Malay-Islamic bigots would inevitably bring up vernacular schools as one of the reasons that caused disunity in this country.

Never mind we have fully-funded schools, colleges and universities that are 100 percent or almost 100 percent of a single race. They are one thousand and one reasons that caused disunity in this country, but to this group of bigots, nothing is causing disunity more than vernacular schools. Please make a survey - almost every top civil servant and Umno member share that same idea.

Then you talked about equal partnership. If there is equal partnership, MCA would not have ended up with unimportant cabinet portfolios year in and year out. Make no mistake; I am not stirring for Chinese power.

If there is genuine power sharing, then power should be shared without taking into account the race and religion of a cabinet member. The same thing goes for civil service appointments. Please check the service division of PSD or the procurement division of the Treasury. If you can find me one non-Malay there, I quit writing here for one month.

Finally, why are you talking all these now? How long have you been an exco in Johor before you became a cabinet minister? It is too late; we cannot trust the MCA and BN to bring meaningful reforms to this country anymore.

Henry Hock: Soi Lek, any words found in dictionary can be used. We can't just consider a particular word 'taboo' just because we don't like it, otherwise every word some jokers hates will become a taboo.

The most important thing is whether the word refer to a truth. If one is a ‘pendatang', then he is a ‘pendatang'. The problem is one's attitude towards the ‘pendatang'.

What's the use if some Malays bigot stop using the word ‘ketuanan Melayu', but still behaves as though they are a special breed?

Keturunan Malaysia: Soi Lek, what - if "certain words should be considered taboo" - are not considered taboo by Umno?

Jazz Singer: This is a sensible statement by Soi Lek. Why can't the MIC come out with this type of statement too. The race-based component parties in Barisan Nasional should make a consensus decision that these and other derogatory words and phrases not be used by its members. See if Umno will be with you or against you on this?

Koh Stanley: In the animal kingdom, the Chinese say, "Rats and snakes stay in the nest together".

TKC: One wonders how many people listen to CSL (Chua Soi Lek) these days. Certainly not Umno, nor Perkasa, nor MIC and nor Gerakan. And if we consider that half the MCA members and 70 percent of Chinese Malaysians don't like him, CSL is irrelevant and very lonely indeed.

Up Yours: Those five words are not taboo ... they are bloody offensive to many Malaysians. And Umno should be warned not to use them anymore in future.

Kleo: Make that six words - Soi Lek forgot "Umno".

You were warned, KL police chief tells protesters

Magnus: I saw the FRU (riot police) using their shields and beating against them to make the usual noise. They were also firing water canons and tear gas at unarmed civilian protestors when there was no need to.

I also saw a contingent of police officers at the protest site carrying large guns. Can the IGP (police chief) or the home minister please tell us why such lethal weapons were thought to be required by the police at the site of a peaceful protest by unarmed civilians?

And were those police firearms loaded with live ammunition so that they could be used on unarmed peaceful protestors in a shoot-to-kill mode had some police officer given the order to do so?

Dood: Whatever the KL police chief says, one wonders why didn't the police come out in full force with riot gear, water cannons and all when the so-called ‘black shirts' had their ‘practice' protest march.

Geronimo: Federal Territory police chief Zulkefli Abdullah, just because they didn't disperse, it doesn't mean you have to use all the armoury at your disposal to get the crowd to do so. What you did is a no-brainer.

In Hong Kong, the police provide escort to the protestors as long as the organisers inform the authorities in good time the route they would be taking. The police personnel would then be assigned along the route to provide the necessary aid.

Changeagent: So what if the KL police chief had issued countless warnings to the crowd to disperse? Did that give the police the right to use chemical-laced water canons and tear gas on citizens who were exercising their democratic right to hold a peaceful demonstration?

The heavy-handedness displayed by the police was absolutely unnecessary and a wanton disregard for basic human rights. The police have really gone too far this time. BN can expect a huge backlash at the next polls. Najib Razak, if he has balls, I dare him to call a snap election right away.

Monsterball: Take note ... the memo was addressed to the Agong and sent to the Selangor sultan as deputy Agong. This is not about Selangor but the whole country. In Selangor, MB Khalid Ibrahim have reduced my water bill of approximate RM45 per month to approximately RM8 per month.

He said water is free and from God. Why should the government make money out of a gift from God?

Changeagent: The ball is firmly in the Yang diPertuan Agong's court to demonstrate that he is indeed a fair king for his subjects, and not for the federal government-backed private water concessionaire that is blatantly trying to cheat the public through exorbitant and unjustifiable tariff price increases.

Terus: With all due respect to our beloved Agong and sultans, I believe the power rest on the BN-led federal government, Syabas and their cronies. As in all privatised projects, it is the rakyat that losses eventually as these agreements are lop-sided and grossly favour the concessionaires.

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