Hypocritical to blame tabloid

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional leaders said Pas is being hypocritical for blaming the daily tabloid Kosmo! as the reason for former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin's controversial Twitter postings on the purchase of the WWW 1 number plate by the Sultan of Johor.

Selangor BN coordinator Datuk Mohd Zin Mohammed told The Mole Pas is not willing to admit Nizar’s uncouth remarks but chose to blame others instead.

“I find them (Pas) very hypocritical. All these while they have been urging people to boycott mainstream media and Utusan Malaysia but now they suddenly blame Kosmo! as being responsible for what Nizar said.”

“Why make Kosmo! their scapegoat? I thought they never believe or read anything from the mainstream newspaper?” Mohd Zin added.

The Sepang MP was responding to a statement made by Perak Pas Youth deputy head Dr Raja Ahmad Raja Yusof who reportedly said Nizar’s Twitter postings on the WWW1 number plate might be influenced from the tabloid’s caricature dated May 28 and May 30.

Dr Raja Ahmad also urged the police to launch an investigation against the Utusan Malaysia-owned tabloid for publishing the caricature.

Nizar who is the state assemblyman for Pasir Panjang on his Twitter account last week said: “rm520k bolih dibelanjakan membantu rakyat melayu johor yg masih ramai miskin serta memerlukan bantuan utk kprluan hidup,bina 20 rumah pprt!” (RM 520,000 can be used to help the Johor Malay community who are still poor and in need of aids, (it) can build 20 PHP (People’s Housing Project)."

A pro-opposition blog Dari Sungai Derhaka in its post on Tuesday questioned the inaction against the Kosmo! for the caricature which it stated was more insulting than Nizar’s statement.

Mohd Zin however said the allegations were childish and immature.

“Nizar is a leader. He should have known the sensitivity of the people especially when it comes to religion and royal institution. As a wise person he should know his limits better.”

“It is ridiculous to blame what he reads for the statements he made,” Mohd Zin added.

Nizar had said he will apologise if the Sultan finds his remarks offensive.

He said he did not intend to insult the Ruler but merely stating the amount paid for WWW 1 plate number by the Sultan could be used in helping the Johoreans in need.

Perak BN state exco Datuk Hamidah Osman when contacted said Pas is trying to put the blame on Kosmo! to divert people’s attention from Nizar’s remarks.

“I think Pas is aware that Nizar’s statements are uncouth. It is only normal for the opposition to point fingers at others, and in this case it is Kosmo!,” Hamidah said.

“It is funny to think that a politician like Nizar can be easily influenced by a caricature."

"There are a lot of people who might have seen it (the caricature) but none of them actually reacted the way he did,” she added.  

Source: MOLE