Teo says surau row nadir in her life


By Debra Chong
September 04, 2010
The Malaysian Insider

PETALING JAYA, Sept 4 — Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching has revealed that she broke down over her surau visit controversy because she thought she had done something to make the Malays hate DAP and caused terrible hardship to the surau committee members.

The young first-term MP told The Malaysian Insider yesterday that the row had been the lowest point in her life.

But yesterday, she looked the epitome of confidence in her bold red dress and big toothy smile as she strode into the DAP national headquarters.

It was in stark contrast to the abject figure she cut a week ago after national Malay daily, Utusan Malaysia , front-paged a picture of her — a non-Muslim — addressing a Muslim group from inside the inner sanctum of a surau, dressed in a kebaya reminiscent of the Singapore Girl uniform and with her head uncovered.

The stunt earned her the Sultan of Selangor’s wrath, the paper reported.

“I cried,” the 29-year-old lawmaker admitted plainly to The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview, after reading the report.

The lawyer who was catapulted into the political ring after winning a seat in the federal lawmaking body two years ago was accused of disrespecting Islam by invading the sanctity of the dewan solat or prayer hall at the Surau Al-Huda in Kajang Sentral, Selangor and without covering her aurat, a major social and religious faux pas in predominantly Muslim Malaysia.

Her emotional distress was from a combination of fear and guilt without knowing for certain if she had committed an offence, mixed in with a bewildering sense that she had somehow betrayed her party seniors, built up over two days that led to her nearly-public breakdown.

“Actually, I cried in my car. I don’t know if my assistant saw me or not,” Teo related.

She was attending a Phor Tor (Hungry Ghost) event in her constituency and had been frazzled by a flood of phone calls from sympathisers and party leaders from within the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) bloc.

“I got a lot of calls, from (Lim) Kit (Siang), (Lim) Guan Eng, Ms Foo, the DAP Chief of Staff, Tok Guru (Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat)… they didn’t try to scold me but tried to pacify me and give advice.

“But the more they tried to pacify me, the more I felt like crying,” Teo said, recalling the moment.

“I was so afraid and worried,” she added.

Why?

“It’s hard to explain. I thought I made a mistake that could jeopardise the DAP. I thought I did something wrong to make the Malay community hate the DAP. I thought it was my fault,” said Teo, a Christian.

She elaborated that there has always been a strong perception the DAP was a “Chinese, chauvinist, communist” party, and she felt responsible that she might have inadvertently reversed the years of effort by party veterans to erase the misperception.

Teo said she also felt bad that the surau committee has been suspended and its management taken over by the Selangor state Islamic Council (MAIS).

“The incident caused a lot of hardship to the AJK (committee members). They’re suspended. Even though they had invited me sincerely, what I did to them was a disaster,” the DAP national assistant publicity chief said.

But while Teo described the incident as her rock bottom, she has now recovered, and credits support from PR leaders and the general public who sympathised with her naivety for her ability to bounce back.

She was immensely grateful to PAS Spiritual Advisor, Nik Aziz, for giving her the strength to go on with his reassurance that she had not done anything offensive to Muslims, contrary to comments published in Utusan Malaysia.

“After seeing the comments, especially from Tok Guru Nik Aziz… I feel I’ve not done anything wrong. I went there with a pure intent,” Teo said, adding that reading sympathetic comments on the Internet helped cheer her up and prompted her to purchase a BlackBerry soon after — to enable her to keep in touch with Netizens.

Does she think she is getting more public support after the surau incident?

“To a certain extent,” Teo said, after a moment’s pause.

“Whether for good or bad, people now know who I am,” she added, and explained that even though she had been making the rounds on the ground regularly as an MP, few recognised her face, let alone her name.

“Now, when I go out, people know me. ‘Ini YB Surau’,” she burst out in giggles, relating how people who recognise her now hail her.

And her feelings about the nickname?

“To me, it’s okay. It’s a joke,” Teo said, glad for the free publicity, even if few still remember her real name.

—————————————————————————————————-
MP Serdang kini popular ‘YB Surau’, sangkal sumbangan ‘hina Islam’

Oleh G Manimaran dan Syed Mu’az Syed Putra
The Malaysian Insider

KAJANG, 4 Sept — Sementara kira-kira 30 kariah menunggu dengan sabar sambil berbual mengenai perkembangan semasa, sekitar pukul 11 malam tadi, Ahli Parlimen Serdang Teo Nie Ching singgah di Surau At-Tholabiah, Sungai Ramal Luar berhampiran Kajang.

Wakil rakyat itu sepatutnya berada di surau itu pukul 10 malam untuk bertemu dengan mereka selepas berakhirnya majlis tarawih. Bagaimanapun beliau lewat sejam kerana terpaksa singgah di Madrasah Cheras Perdana untuk memenuhi permintaan saat-saat akhir.

“Maaf, saya tiba lewat. Ada program saat-saat akhir. Mereka memanggil saya datang,” kata beliau dengan tenang ketika melangkah ke Surau At-Tholabiah, yang terletak di tepi Lebuh Raya Sik.

Madrasah Cheras Perdana antara yang mengundang beliau bertemu dengan umat Islam meskipun tercetusnya isu kunjungan ke Surau Al-Huda.

Permintaan Madrasah Cheras Perdana dan kesungguhan pengurusan Surau At-Tholabiah menandakan Teo yang sudah mula dikenali sebagai “YB Surau” menandakan terus menerusi semangat dan sokongan di sebalik debat mengenai isu ini berterusa.

Dengan berpakaian baju kurung berwarna kuning dengan selendang, yang dihadiahkan oleh salah seorang peminatnya baru-baru ini, Teo berkata: “Apa yang berlaku sekarang ini adalah satu ujian.”

Beliau telah menerima enam selendang setakat ini, termasuk selendang dari Mesir yang dihadiahkan oleh “Datuk Zin”. “Kalau ada jemputan saya akan datang, menjadi tugas saya untuk datang…. saya melakukan ini bukan sahaja ketika Ramadan, tetapi sepanjang tahun… saya pergi bertemu dengan semua orang tidak kira agama dan kaum,” katanya.

Kehadiran di Surau At-Tholabiah adalah persinggahan beliau yang terakhir pada bulan Ramadan. Awal pagi ini beliau bertolak di Sarawak sebagai sebahagian daripada persediaan DAP menghadapi pilihan raya umum negeri itu.

Ahli Parlimen penggal pertama berusia 29 tahun itu tiba-tiba menjadi ‘popular’ ekoran kontroversi yang dibangkitkan oleh Umno dan Perkasa dua minggu lalu.

Dalam ucapannya Penasihat Surau At-Tholabiah Mohd Yusof A. Kadir berkata, “walaupun berhadapan dengan isu kontroversi, kami berharap beliau (Teo) akan terus bersemangat untuk berkhidmat sebagai wakil rakyat.”

“Kami berharap semangat YB tidak jatuh, tetapi pada masa yang sama kita akan ikut arahan orang atasan,” kata beliau mengalu-alukan kedatang Teo yang menyampaikan sumbangan pada majlis ringkas yang diadakan di ruang luar.

“Ini duit rakyat,” kata Teo ketika menyerahkan sumbangan kepada Pengerusi surau Abdul Rahman Mohd Tahir seolah-olah mahu menangkis kritikan sesetengah pihak yang mempertikaikan wakil rakyat bukan Islam menyampaikan sumbangan dan derma di kawasan masjid dan surau.

Ketika ditemui The Malaysian Insider dalam satu pertemuan kira-kira 10 jam sebelum itu, Teo berkata, kunjungan beliau ke masjid atau surau sama sekali tidak harus dilihat sebagai tindakan menghina agama Islam.

“Mengapa saya perlu memberi sumbangan untuk menghina agama lain, tidak… tidak,” kata beliau ketika ditemu bual di ibu pejabat DAP di Petaling Jaya tengah hari semalam.

“Kalau saya nak menghina, adakah saya hendak memberi sumbangan, saya rasa kenyataan itu (dakwaan menghina) itu tidak masuk akal, tidak betul,” kata wakil rakyat kelulusan undang-undang ini.

Teo mengulangi bahawa Umno dan Perkasa sengaja memperbesarkan isu ini dan menolak bahawa beliau menggunakan kunjungan ke masjid atau surau untuk kepentingan politik.

“Saya juga terkejut. Saya tidak panggil wartawan ke program saya. Ini lawatan biasa,” kata beliau sambil menambah, “saya pergi ke sana dengan niat yang suci dan ikhlas iaitu untuk memberikan sumbangan.”

“Umno memang ada cakap saya telah memperalatkan surau untuk meraih publisiti untuk diri sendiri.

“Tetapi saya tidak berniat untuk buat demikian lagipun pada hari itu juga saya tidak jemput wartawan untuk datang…. kalau saya pergi saya dan bawa wartawan mungkin boleh tuduh saya gunakan surau untuk jadikan saya lebih popular,” katanya.

Selepas isu ini diperbesarkan, Teo mengakui sudah melawat beberapa surau lagi.

“Ini adalah tugas saya jadi saya perlu jalankan tanggungjawab seperti biasa,” katanya lagi.

Sebenarnya kata Teo, kebanyakan program telah disusun sejak sebelum Ramadan lagi dan ada juga jemputan yang baru selepas isu ini tercetus.

“Macam malam ini baru terima jemputan dua hari lalu, mereka tidak takut kerana faham.

“Selain masjid dan surau saya juga ada pergi ke bazar untuk beri buah kurma.

“Respons syang saya terima sampai hari ini agak menggalakkan… ada orang cakap ia bukan satu isu, ada juga yang cakap mereka itu (pengkritik) cemburu,” kata Teo sambil menambah, beliau akan melakukan apa yang sepatutnya perlu dijalankan selaku seorang wakil rakyat.

Menjawab soalan bagaimana beliau menghadapi isu semasa ini, Teo juga berkongsi bahawa pada hari pertama dan kedua beliau memang tertekan dan ada menangis.

Teo berkata, beliau menitiskan air mata semasa dalam perjalanan ke rumah dan ketika berada di rumah sehari selepas Majlis Agama Islam Selangor mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa Sultan Selangor murka dan akan mengeluarkan surat amaran.

Malah kenyataan itu menjadi tajuk muka depan media pada Sabtu lalu.

“Hari Sabtu, saya rasa begitu susah,” katanya.

“Memang saya rasa tertekan kerana saya ingat ia salah saya,” kata beliau tetapi mengaku tidak menjejaskan kerjaya politiknya.

Bagaimanapun kata Teo, beliau seolah-olah merasakan telah membuat satu kesilapan yang boleh menjejaskan reputasi parti dan juga ahli jawatankuasa Surau Al-Huda.

“Memang rasa begitu, tidak senang dan sedih kerana ahli jawatankuasa telah digantung kerana tindakan saya.

“Pada saya, jika pada malam itu mereka tidak menjemput saya masuk ke ruang solat, ia tidak akan jadi satu isu yang begitu besar.

“Walaupun mereka jemput saya dengan niat baik dan ikhlas, layan saya dengan baik dan akhirnya apa yang saya bawa kepada mereka adalah masalah.

“(Oleh itu) saya menangis sendiri bukan depan orang,” katanya.

Teo juga berkongsi bahawa beliau menerima banyak panggilan daripada pemimpin parti dan mereka sebenarnya tidak marah.

“Semua orang hanya simpati dan faham bahawa pada hari pertama dan kedua saya berada dalam satu kedudukan yang sangat sukar.

“Mereka hubungi dan memberi nasihat kepada saya… apabila (Lim) Kit Siang dan Lim Guang Eng hubungi saya, bila mereka hubungi mereka cakap jangan risau, saya rasa ini satu sokongan moral daripada mereka,” katanya lagi.

Teo, antara calon pilihan raya umum 2008 yang menggunakan pendekatan kreatif untuk mendekati pengundi memberitahu beliau tidak sama sekali terfikir untuk meletakkan jawatan kerana isu ini, tetapi rasa takut dan risau kerana “saya tidak mahu membawa masalah kepada parti.”

“Saya rasa begitu ketika itu kerana pada saat itu kita belum terima begitu banyak nasihat, sokongan dan panduan daripada PKR dan PAS lagi.

“Tok guru (Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat) juga ketika itu masih belum keluarkan apa-apa kenyataan pada masa itu,” katanya lagi.

Teo, penolong setiausaha publisiti kebangsaan DAP berkata, beliau sememangnya bimbang sama ada telah buat satu kesilapan yang akan mengakibatkan orang Melayu menganggap DAP sebuah parti anti-Melayu dan anti-Islam.

“Ini kerana saya rasa telah mencuba dengan begitu bersungguh untuk meyakinkan masyarakat Melayu bahawa DAP bukan sebuah parti ‘Chinese, Chauvinist dan Communist (CCC)’ sebagaimana didakwa oleh musuh kami,” kata beliau dengan merujuk kepada usaha DAP yang cuba meyakinkan orang ramai bahawa ia adalah sebuah parti yang berkhidmat untuk semua kaum.

“DAP adalah sebuah parti untuk semua rakyat Malaysia… memang saya takut bahawa usaha-usaha yang kita lakukan selama ini akan terjejas oleh sebab saya telah lakukan kesilapan atau boleh kata kecuaian yang bodoh,” ujar beliau.

Selain menangis, insiden ini juga membawa kepada Teo membeli telefon BlackBerry untuk mengikuti perkembangan semasa dengan lebih dekat.

“Sebelum ini saya tidak guna BlackBerry, lepas insiden tersebut saya beli pada 31 Ogos. Saya perlukan BlackBerry sekarang, pada hari ini saya perlukan BlackBerry untuk dapatkan banyak informasi,” katanya.

Beliau masih melihat ke depan untuk berhadapan dengan cabaran dan tanggungjawab lebih besar sebagai wakil rakyat.

“Selepas melihat komen dan Tok Guru mempertahankan saya dan sudah menjelaskan bahawa dari segi Islam memang tidak salah orang bukan Islam masuk masjid dan surau, dari sana saya telah mendapat kekuatan dan selepas insiden itu, ramai orang telah keluarkan kenyataan mempertahankan saya termasuk (Naib Presiden PAS) Datuk Mahfuz Omar, Dewan Muslimat pusat dan Selangor juga ada datang jumpa saya untuk beri semangat – satu jumpa di Kajang dan satu jumpa di Balakong.

“Saya rasa selepas hari Sabtu, komen daripada masyarakat agak positif.

“Ada orang yang kata saya tidak buat apa-apa kesalahan dan kata tiada masalah orang bukan Islam masuk masjid dan surau.

“Ada juga fikir bahawa tidak pakai tudung itu adalah tidak sopan kerana saya sepatutnya pakai tudung,” katanya yang mengaku telah meningkatkan pemahaman tentang Islam berbanding Mac 2008.

“Lepas kejadian itu, masyarakat sekarang lebih kenali saya. Saya mengaku walaupun telah jadi wakil rakyat lebih daripada dua tahun tapi masih ramai yang belum kenal siapa saya.

“Tetapi selepas insiden ini saya pergi ke bazar mereka sudah tahu siapa saya.

“Walaupun tidak dapat sebut nama saya tapi mereka panggil saya “YB surau”, tapi saya rasa mereka peka dengan isu ini dan telah kenal saya,” katanya lagi.

Teo juga merasakan telah menerima banyak simpati daripada masyarakat berkata, beliau sebenarnya merasakan telah menerima sokongan yang begitu banyak.

“Hari-hari, sekarang saya terima selendang dari kawan-kawan Melayu dengan mengatakan bahawa supaya mereka (pengkritik) tidak bising

“Hari ini saya dapat satu lagi emel – ada pihak yang mahu mendermakan RM5,000 kepada saya untuk membuat satu program di kawasan saya,” kata Teo.

  1. #1 by yhsiew on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 12:48 pm

    Teo’s fear and guilt revealed her deep love for DAP and Muslims.

  2. #2 by sheriff singh on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 12:58 pm

    This incident will only boost her popularity even more and she will definitely rise to achieve greater heights.

    So UMNO and cronies, beware!!!

  3. #3 by HOHOHO on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 1:10 pm

    Ho Ho Ho
    Malaysians are following n understand you good intention n good heart YB Teo n don’t worry n don’t cry bcoz you are doing the right things to help others peoples in your duty..keep it up!
    Well,I hope that Pakatan Rakyat leaders will also put some efforts to help many poor KOPITIAMS small business peoples that really support PR during 308 n hope that they can get some better business guidance from PR gomen..
    Ho Ho Ho

  4. #4 by k1980 on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 1:21 pm

    Teo, these children need your aid more than the surau. They are not eligible for aid under the nep ‘cos they are pendatangs

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BJGWfUvJNiQ/TIA_nWtOdLI/AAAAAAAAKco/zkUnAMFSmlA/s1600/Poor+Chinese+(3.9.10).jpg

  5. #5 by dagen on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 2:02 pm

    Is umno the ruling party or the opposition party?

    The fact is umno is ruling the country. At the same time it is also a fact that umno is behaving like the opposition party.

    So you see umno members are one lot of confused people. Or are they one load of politicians with rock bottom confidence? May be both.

    And indeed we have umno to thank for now the pretty mp teo is well known up and down the country.

    ps. Mel_a_yu pls return the rambutan to cintanegara pls immediately.

  6. #6 by boh-liao on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 2:26 pm

    O dear, girl, don’t cry for 1Malaysia
    Aiyoh, so kesian n sayang
    Come, come closer to my bosom n let me hold U in my arms n lick dry your tear drops
    Feeling better now?
    So said d famous hum sup guy in 1M’sia

  7. #7 by pulau_sibu on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 2:47 pm

    What would happen now if Teo Nie Ching considers to convert to Islam? Would UMNO say NO? simply because it is umNO.

  8. #8 by altantuyaghost on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 2:54 pm

    YB Surau , don’t be scare of those who are out to belittle you especially umno and that toilet utusan paper.
    You have to be brave and stand up to these bullies. In this way your voters and supporters will feel proud that they have voted a brave girl who can stand up to Goliath.

  9. #9 by k1980 on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 3:00 pm

    #6 Come, come closer to my bosom….

    after dat, d famous hum sup guy in 1M’sia will blow her up with c4

  10. #10 by frankyapp on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 3:25 pm

    MsTeo demonstrated strong courage and humanity though she did no wrong. And for those demanding her to apologise,must not think they are great people for example the two school principals who made derogatory racial remarks,just remain silent or are hidding themselves in the arms of their protector. Ms Teo did what she thought was humble and humane as well as her obligated responsible duty as an elected representative. Her good intention has been manipulated by her foes for political gains.Despite this,she has humbly apologised. Comparing to the two school principals who have evil intention and purpose to insulting their respective non malays students are given protection and scot free charges. This is indeed the most double standard the regime in power ever displayed to date.To Ms Teo you have my great respect and I wish you every success in your journey to serving the people and nation.

  11. #11 by KeenWatcher_01 on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 4:03 pm

    People! Those who played God and is still playing God, watch out for your last 3 years of your life.

  12. #12 by habis on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 4:04 pm

    Saudari Teo you had honestly no intention to hina Islam and you did the right course of action to apologise to the Royal Highness of Selangor for that unfortunate incident.The Rakyat knows you are sincere and performing your responsiblity as an elected representative to serve them irrespective of race or colour.Do not be discouraged by this setback but instead rise up with renew inspiration and vigour to further serve the rakyat and I wish you all the very best in your endeavour to cherish a better bright future for all Malaysians.

  13. #13 by undertaker888 on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 6:15 pm

    although your first term, you performed better than any of the 10 or 100 bangsat negara put together.

    kudos to you. even the kow tow king snake sor lek is nothing compared to you.

    Persevere

  14. #14 by Taj on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 6:17 pm

    Respect to YB Teo. All the right move driven by noble intention to serve the people who voted for her and to carry out her duties. Tabik.

    Respect also to all the members of the Suraus that continued to invite her even after the incident. This shows the degree of understanding and tolerance that actually exist among us Malaysian.

    Those culprits, those political opportunists, who capitalized on this issue and who blew it out of proportion are the minority among us and they in no way represent the sentiment of Malaysians in general. What they did runs counter to the spirit of Malaysia. We don’t buy your political gimmick. Serve the people. Serve the country. But if you cannot do that at least have the decency to shut up and let those who can do their work without any obstruction.

    YB Teo put many to shame when she as a political newbie could carry out the duties expected of her as an MP with such integrity whereas there are those so call veterans in the political arena who cannot do anything more than to come out with some cheap political gimmick.

    Syabas to YB Surau

  15. #15 by loveandgratitude on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 7:18 pm

    If Tok Guru and RPK openly comment that you did NOT do anything Wrong, you have nothing to worry about causing a dent to the image of DAP.

    In fact other DAP MPs & Aduns should emulate you to visit Suraus & Mosques when invited.

    The truth is that UMNO$$Putras are now pretty disturb that Malays are finding that DAP are truly Multi-racial in their practices.

  16. #16 by kahlilgibran09 on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 8:07 pm

    It is a fact that YB Teo went to the surau with all her good intent which everybody in his sound mind will come to agree. It`s just that the manner in the way she went about it did not conform to Islamic ways. `Allah sees in not what you do but in what is in your heart`. So take heart YB Teo, you have not incurred the wrath of Allah. All this hullabaloo that is being hyped by Utusan Malaysia only goes to show that it is not done in good faith and in the spirit of 1 Malaysia. On the other hand, it has the smell of vengeance and hate and I really think it stinks all the way to ****! As a moslem I am really ashame of my brothers and sister at Utusan Malaysia. Well, whatever it is, let this be a lesson to YB Teo; consult an ustaz before going about in dealing with Islamic issue especially with regard to protocol. The same thing goes to moslem YBs. If ever an apology is inevitable, so be it. An apology is not a show of one`s weakness but on the contrary. Let`s take this issue objectively and everything would be alright, Insya`Allah ( Allah permits ).

  17. #17 by JJx on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 9:14 pm

    It is good that she is concerned about DAP’s image (especially amongst the muslims). But it will be prudent of her to be more careful next time.

  18. #18 by HARGA diri on Saturday, 4 September 2010 - 11:56 pm

    Young politicians should be prepared for the arts of politics. They have to know that nothing is that innocent. Senior politicians, veterans; besides having supporters, you must teach them how to manouever through the treacherous river of politics.

  19. #19 by undergrad2 on Sunday, 5 September 2010 - 8:14 am

    Novice MP revels in her fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of her own political party. And she says she’s happy with that.

  20. #20 by haneasme on Monday, 6 September 2010 - 6:22 pm

    Bro,

    Nik Aziz di Kelantan, maybe di kelantan wakil2 MP DAP pun boleh bagi kutbah kat sana sebaB PAS. D Negeri Lain kita ikut fatwa yg diluluskan Majlis Ulama. Non Muslim should not be in Prayer Room.

    Bodohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……….

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