Muhyiddin ticks off MCA on 'hand shake' row
MCA has been slapped on the wrist by Deputy Prime Minister and BN deputy chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin for its attempts to ridicule PAS candidate Normala Sudirman for refusing to shake hands with male voters in Tenang.
MCA has been slapped on the wrist by Deputy Prime Minister and BN deputy chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin for its attempts to ridicule PAS candidate Normala Sudirman for refusing to shake hands with male voters in Tenang.
"There is no need to go on about this. I don’t want to prolong this matter," the BN's polls commander-in-chief told a press conference in Tenang today.
He said Normala has her reasons for not shaking hands - and than she has the freedom to do so - and that BN should not manipulate the issue.
"It is up to the voters to judge because she might have her own reasons. We in BN should not exploit the candidate’s personal (reasons). That is her choice, but we leave it to the voters to judge."
Pressed further, Muhyiddin said there were other more important issues to be addressed.
"There are other main issues that need to be focused on (and) explained (in showing) our commitment to helping the people and the voters here."
End Interlok row
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin urged all quarters to stop harping on the Interlok and turning it into a political issue.
"I want ask all of you: Who have read 'Interlok'? I did... Nobody read it?... What I want to stress is that the government has decided on a formula to resolve this.
"I spoke to the prime minister just now, that in the BN spirit, we will discuss the matter with MIC. The formula will be revealed soon. We will have detailed discussions over the next two days.
"I hope that once this has been decided, there would be no more problems because what is important is that there is cooperation in BN," said Muhyiddin, who is also the education minister.
Critics of Interlok, a Malay literature book used in secondary schools, claims that the book's portrayal of ethnic Indians was unfair and promotes the caste system.
This has hurt the feelings of the Indian community who wants the book banned, argues the critics.
Earlier this month, a MIC delegation had met education ministry officials for a dialogue. However, their voice was alleged to have been drowned out by university lecturers, Malay literary figures and the National Literary Association (Gapena) who defended the use of the book.
