Apology’s better than turning, twisting, spinning
YOURSAY ‘It will show your humility and people will respect you more.’
Ismail: 'No reason' for me to apologise
Commentable: Agriculture and Agrobased Industries Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, you have been lying, you have been dishonest and you have been misleading the Malaysian public in general, and the Malays in particular, with a racist accusation.
This is made doubly serious because you made the statement not as an ordinary citizen but as a minister representing the government.
No amount of twisting and turning or rephrasing or adding of "qualifiers" will correct what was posted by you at the first instance. You meant every word said as those chosen words were designed and calculated with malice and spite.
By saying today that there is "no reason" for you to apologise sums it all up that you remain defiant, unrepentant and without remorse.
Gerard Lourdesamy: Ismail Sabri can spin all he wants but in the eyes of most right-minded Malaysians, he is nothing but a racist.
He has failed as a minister and seeks to blame only the Chinese traders for not lowering their prices. If his intention was to empower consumers, there was no need to mention race or that only a particular race wants to take advantage of and oppress another race.
Why mention about the dubious halal certification of Chinese restaurants and anti-Islam sentiments if your intention was not to incite or provoke?
Lamborghini: Ismail, you are not only arrogant but forktongued. If you have made a mistake, just apologise. It will show your humility and people will respect you more.
But when you twist and turn your words, it shows you are an arrogant, deceptive political chameleon and you will have lost all the respect of the rakyat except for those who are the same breed like you.
Mark Anthony: When he found his statement was stupid, he issued a new one.
Ipohcrite: The Ismail Sabri debacle or Ismailgate epitomises what is so wrong in Umno; a political party mired in the mistaken belief of its own racial supremacy, and totally unwilling to accept its own mistakes and instead, blames and censures its critics for its shortcomings.
Bemman: Trapped in a corner, the only thing he can do now is to gather likeminded supporters to show defiance and to spindeny and denyspin the racial remarks he posted in Facebook.
But, inside him, he is really wishing that he had not clicked that button to post those remarks which exposed the ugliness that is in him and hopes that he can find some way to take back those remarks.
The only decent way forward for him is to apologise and resign from his minister’s post, something he has refused to do.
Anonymous #40538199: Not just making racial slurs, the minister also openly doubts the integrity and credibility of halal certification authority in Malaysia.
Soo Jin Hou: This sordid episode is splashed all over the front page news of the most popular free paper in Singapore, Today. Good job Umno, keep it up.
Nil: If I am a trader, whether I raise or reduce prices is up to me. I know what I am doing. It's my loss or gain. The market will adjust prices to a suitable level. If you feel that my prices are too high, go somewhere else.
Consumers do that without them having to be told to boycott this or boycott that. They could have been told or advised to "shop around".
Ismail Sabri, you may not have intended to be racial, but unfortunately, what you said has that effect. It is for this that you have to apologise, and especially so if you are a minister, an elected servant of the people.
Anak, Bangsa, Malaysia: What qualifier? The Malays and Indians too have not lowered their prices. Who has, anyway?
What about Ismail Sabri's ministry going down to the field and issue summonses to the traders who are not lowering their prices? Ismail Sabri is trying to throw the responsibility to others except his own. What a shame.
Anonymous #44199885: Well, no surprises here. Racists never apologise. What is most shocking is that he blames an entire race for high prices when all strategic industries and infrastructure are controlled by GLCs and those friendly to the ruling party.
Also equally, and if not more, shocking is his claim that the Chinese will oppress the Malays. How on earth can a minority race oppress a majority race when the military, police and other security forces are predominantly of one race?
This is the kind of statement that may prove to be fodder for Islamic State followers to commit violent acts against the Chinese and minority races. Sabri's statement is highly seditious and he should be charged.
This cannot be resolved amicably. Lesser statements by opposition members and supporters have seen them dragged to court.
But so far infamous statements by Umno members at the recent AGM and Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali have been either defended by the authorities or disregarded for their seditious tendencies.
Baiyuensheng: And with so many division heads from Umno coming out to support him, it makes you wonder that Umno may be really have no more calibre leaders. How can we trust Umno to form the next government? Scary thought, isn't it?
Maybe we can petition to the Agong to nullify his cabinet appointment and that in the future, all potential cabinet ministers must be vetted by the Agong for their extremist and racism tendencies before being appointed.
Malaysia cannot afford to have a racist and extremist in the midst of the cabinet.
Louis: Ismail Sabri, if you are a real fool, don't take others to be like you. Your first posting is your original thought, no question about it.
Your explanation is an afterthought and after so many protests. It is done without sincerity. Just be a gentleman and admit your wrong.
Your accompanying statement confirmed how racist you are. If truly your target are merely stubborn Chinese traders, you would not bring up Old Town White coffee ownership, neither would you make a halal-haram issue on consuming Chinese-manufactured food.
The latter two aspects have no connection at all with prices of goods.
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