Rayer blasted over 'jump off bridge' remark

comments     Susan Loone     Published     Updated

DAP’s Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer has been blasted for a Facebook posting asking state Gerakan chief Teng Chang Yeow to “jump off the Penang bridge”.

Rayer made the comment “Teng why don't you do us Penangites all a favour and jump off the Penang Bridge” on his Facebook page on Aug 25.

The post has since got 136 likes, 26 shares and more than 60 comments, mostly hitting out at Teng and Gerakan, which administered Penang until Pakatan Rakyat seized the state government in the 2008 general election.

Rayer said this in response to a Bernama report which quoted Teng ( photo ) urging Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to apologise “for creating a divisive society between state and federal in having a different theme for the state-level National Day celebration”.

Bernama had quoted Teng as saying that Lim had misled the people into believing that the theme was ‘Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah’ (Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy), when the actual announcement he made earlier was ‘Bersih’.

Today, state Gerakan committee member Albert Tan Kah Leong hit out at Rayer, calling him “irrational” and saying his attitude revealed the “destitute of democracy” of the DAP.

Tan said DAP does not have the basic virtue of upholding the principle of freedom of speech.

“It is a sin to ask someone to commit suicide and we should strive to pursue virtue, honesty and a healthy society, irrespective of political differences,” he said in a statement.

“If at all the statement of your opponents or the opposition party is wrong or irrational, as a lawyer or wakil rakyat (people’s representative), don’t you think you should use your good sense to rebut it?

“Why stoop so low to ask people to die, knowing very well to commit suicide is an offence? It is not an affront to your professional ethics and morality?” Tan asked.

He said if DAP felt that Gerakan had uttered a wrong statement, the party leaders should be open to debate about the issue, instead of asking Teng to commit suicide.

'Go for a swim then or take a hike'

When contacted, Rayer found Tan’s comments rather amusing, asking the latter to “understand simple English”.

“Asking people to jump off the Penang bridge does not literally mean asking him to commit suicide.

“Gerakan should read the comments posted under my post, the 60-odd comments were all in support of my statement.

“Ask Teng to go for a swim then or take a hike, Penangites do not want Gerakan or Teng anymore, that’s my interpretation,” Rayer told Malaysiakini .

He also criticised Gerakan for not understanding what freedom of speech meant.

“Freedom of speech means when you say something, you must accept being criticised for it,” he quipped.

Lim ( photo ), who is also DAP secretary-general, backed down from using the state’s ‘Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah’ theme after the Armed Forces, police and Education Department refused to join the annual celebrations.

The federal government agencies felt the word ‘Bersih’ was too politically sensitive as the coalition for electoral reform, also known as Bersih 4, is organising a mammoth 34-hour rally at Dataran Merdeka on Aug 29 and 30.

One of Bersih’s demands is to ask Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to step down and allow the authorities to probe him over a series of alleged financial scandals involving the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donations in his private bank accounts.

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