'Maybe, as someone mentioned, this is just a pre-election reflex, but still it's nice to see some honesty coming out of our so-called leaders.'

Liow says sorry for Tung Shin slip-up

FellowMalaysian: So Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai has finally admitted he was wrong when he erred in his statements defending the hospital's claim denying the discharge of water cannons into the hospital's compound.

He has made a public apology and the question now is whether he deserves to be punished. Forget about demanding that he resigns from his minister's post. He obviously thinks that this is a minor slip-up, or an aberration, as PM Najib Razak would have called it.

This conundrum puts him in a tight situation, considering that the general election is around the corner and as a senior member of MCA, his actions speak very loud for the image of the party.

Black Mamba: It is interesting to note that in the last few days, politicians from both sides of the divide have been coming out to apologise and admit to the nation that either it was a wrong arrogant remark made or correcting a historical fact that was proven right eventually.

Politicians have finally realised that the rakyat holds the card to their survival in the coming election. Those who still behave as if the rakyat owes them a living in their high office are going to be severely disappointed when the polls results are out.

Disgruntlement and dissatisfaction of the rakyat against errant politicians spread like wildfire through the powerful vehicle of Internet. Their mischiefs are fast recorded in online media and disseminated faster than they can rebut.

Bendahara: Would saying "sorry" do? Liow, you should resign from your post as health minister. That is the correct thing to do. We will remember your vehement denial and the threats made to hospital staff who wanted to come out to testify.

SMC77: Liow, I accept your apology but I will still vote for Pakatan Rakyat in the next GE (general election). Your apology comes too late and appears insincere. You and your BN clowns will pay the price.

Apology is cheap in Malaysia and we will teach you a good lesson in the next GE. We do have good memory and we won't forget so easily the sins committed by you and your BN clowns.

Hamdan Tahir: It is not disturbance that you caused. You have issued a misleading interpretation of the incident so as to cover the tracks of the guilty. This is serious.

Not only you, but the entire cabinet and the IGP (inspector-general of police), should apologise to Malaysians.

Bender: Any person who has the balls to admit a wrong on his/her part and publicly apologise for it is honourable in my book.

As a Muslim, my regret is to see this coming from a non-believer instead of my fellow Muslims who had done so much wrong but never had the ability to show such gumption and honourable behaviour.

Maybe, as someone mentioned, this is just a pre-election reflex but still it's nice to see some honesty coming out of our so-called leaders.

Joker: Liow apologised for causing confusion but neither is he nor the police apologising for the chemical water and smoke bomb being used in Tung Shin's compound.

So is spraying chemical water and throwing smoke bombs inside a hospital compound is SOP (standard operation procedure) for the police? Is it the same for firing tear-gas canisters directly at people, rather than over their heads?

Has anyone taken responsibility and apologised for this? I doubt anyone from the police and the Home Ministry is man enough to own up and say sorry.

Hope: How about Bersih chief S Ambiga apologising for not telling the people not to go near the hospital, what more running inside the compound and baiting the police to do what they did?

And what were the Bersih marchers doing near Tung Shin? It's a hospital, for crying out loud.

Multi Racial: Ambiga did no wrong on her part. She did not instruct anyone to run into the hospital.

It was the police who shot the water cannon and tear gas into the crowd, trapping them and forcing them into hospital. Please check your facts.

KJ Lim: Well, it took almost 100 days to release the report. Why so long?

Okay, so he had admitted his mistake and apologised. This is the attitude we should always demand from all politicians.

Onyourtoes: The Malay first DPM said Malaya was indeed colonised, the Home Ministry admitted to violation of SOP by the police when handling the demonstrators at Tung Shin and now the health minister apologised.

Is there a change of strategy here - a softened approach to handle discontent? We shall know whether this new strategy will work. One sparrow does not a spring make.

Lim Chong Leong: So, ‘smoke bomb' is not ‘tear gas'? And ‘commission' is not ‘corruption'? ‘Protectorate' is not ‘colony'? ‘Off-site discussion' is not ‘out-of-court settlement'?

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