Within hours of the Minister of Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal demanding that action be taken against DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok for her Chinese New Year video titled “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” for ridiculing the Malaysian security forces, the Police Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Salleh Mat Rashid swung into immediate action and declared that Teresa’s video clip would be investigated for sedition or defamation.
Shafie accused Teresa’s 11-minute video of mocking Lahad Datu folks, saying that “the feelings of the community in Sabah, especially Lahad Datu, is very deep” following the intrusion into Kampung Tanduo by terrorists from southern Philippines last year.
He said issues of national security should not be lampooned as fellow Malaysians sacrificed their lives in defending the country in the Lahad Datu incursion and the killing of some members of the Malaysian security forces from Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia by the terrorists was not a matter to be belittled and joked about .
Today Teresa denied that her video of political satire belittled the security forces as the dialogue of the feng shui panel in the video did not touch on the Lahad Datu intrusion but referred to security issues in Sabah as the case of the Taiwanese tourist who was shot dead and his wife taken hostage by gunmen in Sabah.
Shafie could not understand the video as it was in Cantonese and Mandarin. He had clearly been misinformed but he was irresponsible and reckless in making baseless but serious allegations against Teresa.
Was Shafie trying to incite hatred among the Malays and the security forces against Teresa?
Would Shafie be investigated by the police for making baseless allegations against Teresa?
I am prepared to play host for a get-together with Shafie and Teresa and for Shafie to be accompanied by his experts on the 11-minute video for his team to point out where the security forces or the Lahad Datu intrusion tragedy had been the subject of ridicule in the video satire.
Is Shafie prepared to come to such a get-together and to publicly apologise and retract his statement attacking Teresa if he cannot back up his charges against the video for lampooning the security forces and the Lahad Datuk intrusion security?
Note: On its sixth day, Teresa’s “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” video on youtube has received over 117,000 hits and still going strong.