In his post from London on the thread “Shame of MIC MP challenging a woman DAP MP to ‘fight’ outside Chamber – first time in Parliament in 50 years”, Chong Zhemin asked whether the MIC Vice President Datuk S. Sothinathan had challenged woman DAP MP for Batu Gajah Fong Po Kuan or me to a fight.
He said that from what he saw from the video, he thought the Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environment was challenging me to a fight. Furthermore, the Chinese newspapers had all reported the next morning that Sothinathan had challenged me to a fight.
Zemin is right about the Chinese newspapers report but they were all wrong. Sothinathan did not challenge me to a fight and the challenge was directed at Po Kuan in the expanded exchange between DAP MPs with BN MPs.
There was a lot of confusion with voices coming from all directions in Parliament and the video of the parliamentary episode, which is available on YouTube, could not capture the full sequence of events.
What is indisputable is the challenge by Sothinathan to Po Kuan to a “fight”. It was only later after DAP MP for Bukit Mertajam Chong Eng intervened that the “fight” interlude was altered to “fighting” in which constituency. But that is a completely separate issue altogether which did not detract or diminish the outrage of the earlier challenge by Sothinathan to Po Kuan to a “fight”!