by Yeo Bee Yin

Yesterday MCA English-speaking Bureau chairperson Tan Gim Tuan made a press statement that he knew “the truth” behind Teresa Kok’s Chinese New Year video, which is to create a political trap so that Barisan Nasional will react negatively towards the video and even the RM1,200 offer to slap Teresa was part of Teresa’s conspiracy to promote herself.

We find it very amusing that Tan thinks that Teresa had the supernatural prophetic ability to predict and evoke the extreme reactions from the Barisan Nasional, especially Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement that ‘slap is not a threat’ and the RM1,200 reward to slap Teresa by the UMNO-related NGOs.  

We are indeed marveled at Tan’s wild imagination to suggest such a “conspiracy theory” on Teresa’s video. Perhaps he has watched too many movies on conspiracy.  No doubt Teresa is a seasoned politician but no one in Malaysia can fathom how Teresa could devise a conspiracy “to promote herself by making herself a victim” through a Chinese New Year political satire video. Tan’s allegation of Teresa’s ‘self-promotion conspiracy’ couldn’t even convince the primary school students.

If MCA would like to please its political master and make up stories to justify the misbehavior of the Barisan Nasional towards this video, then we would like to advice MCA to create a more intelligent story than what Tan has created.

Furthermore, even if Teresa had such supernatural ability, we would like to remind MCA that Pakatan Rakyat is not Barisan Nasional, we will in no way resort to stirring up racial tension to achieve our own political interests. MCA’s statement on Teresa’s intention in making the video can best be described by this Chinese saying – to measure the stature of great men by the yardstick of small men.

We are very disappointed that MCA has degraded into such low level in terms of intelligence and integrity and hope that they will start speaking for the people and not to please their political master for the benefits of the country.