Motion to cut RM10 of Defence Minister served to Parliament

YB Foong (Batu Gajah) Mano(T.Intan),YB Shah Alam and YB Batu join me to hold a press conference at Parliament.

The press confercence was to announce my proposal to move a RM10 salary cut motion to censure Defense Minister for making insensitive, baseless, unfair and irresponsible statement in the august House about the non Malay’s reluctance to join the army.

When answering a parliamentary question in Parliament on Tuesday, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said that lack of patriotism was a reason for the low number of non-Malay recruits in the armed forces. 

In his media statement yesterday, he clarified that he had never made statements about the non Malays being unpatriotic nor had he intended to do so.

“What I had said was that it was possible that it could be due to several factors, including the sense of patriotism that is not strong enough,” he said.

Let me inform Zahid that his insensitive and baseless remarks in Parliament have hurt the feelings of the non Malays.

His clarification is only adding salt to the wound as it is clear that he has failed to comprehend the injustice of associating patriotism with the reluctance of non Malays to join the army.

No matter how one defines or looks at patriotism, whether in the narrow or broad sense and context, it is totally unfair and irresponsible to link it with the non Malays’ reluctance to join the army.

Let me ask Zahid what will be his response if he or the prime minister is described as having less sense of patriotism or being unpatriotic for not encouraging their children to join the army?

Will he or the prime minister agree with or accept such description of them?

In fact, Zahid’s statements made in the august House of Parliament were all the more insulting.

As such, instead of trying to run away from the issue by playing with words, he should have been bold and responsible enough to admit his mistake and sincerely apologise to the non Malays. 

In any case, his attempt to run away from the issue has certainly failed as his clarification will not even be accepted by some MPs from BN component parties.

I shall give notice to the Parliament to move a RM10 salary cut motion to censure him for making such insensitive, baseless, unfair and irresponsible statement in the august House about the non Malay’s reluctance to join the army.
11/11/10
 

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