If worldwide attention was what Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin was courting, he got it, after tweeting “Long live Hitler” following Germany’s 7 – 1 thrashing of Brazil in the FIFA World Cup semifinal match earlier this morning.
The Malaysian Parliamentarian has come under fire for his refusal to apologize for glorifying the dead Nazi dictator in the German’s football triumph.
International portal Time.com reported that Bung Mokhtar “showed no remorse” for his statement, which Business Insider Malaysia has called “anti-Semitic”. Channel News Asia reported that the controversial MP had “sparked outrage” with his statement.
Today Online reported that netizens have called the tweet “low-class”, “crazy”, and “distasteful”.
In a reaction to Bung Mokhtar’s tweet, German Ambassador to Malaysia Holger Michael said, “while we appreciate the admiration for the German football team, we strongly reject the unacceptable allusion to the fascist regime of Adolf Hitler.”
Bung Mokhtar has stuck to his guns, claiming that he was only implying that the German team fought bravely like Hitler, and that the former Nazi leader is part of history.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with people sometimes. Hitler is part of history and the German team fought like how he did,” he said.
Bung was also condemned by Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng for insulting Germans with the veneration of the fascist leader blamed for the Holocaust and human rights violations in the Second World War.
“I hope Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also a football fan, can disassociate himself from Bung Mokhtar and also scold the MP for making insensitive remarks,” said Lim who said that the Germans are a peace loving people who themselves have laws that put Nazi supporters in jail. -The Rocket