YOURSAY 'The ones who highlight the truth are being threatened, being asked to apologise, and those who did wrong protected and hailed as heroes.'

S'gor Umno: Probe canteen whistleblower for sedition

Aries46: Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar, for that matter Umno Selangor, seem to have a twisted sense of reasoning and the call to probe the whistleblower in this ‘canteen in shower room' fiasco under the Sedition Act is even more bizarre.

For the record, the parent concerned had to seek recourse through the social media because her complaint to the school authorities failed to address her concern for her daughter's health in having to take her meals in the shower room.

And according to her, there was no element of race or religion in her complaint. The fact the Education Ministry intervened to facilitate the use of the regular canteen for the affected students the very next day validates the severity of the parent's complaint.

If not for her prompt action, the repugnant decision of the headmaster would have continued unabated to the detriment of the helpless students' health. Can Noh tell us when did a complaint against a civil servant become a seditious offence?

Multi Racial: The whistleblower is the hero and with this statement, Selangor Umno has effectively buried their chances of capturing Selangor ever again.

It goes to show how stupid they are. The headmaster was wrong to place the students to eat in the washroom. You can look from any angle, it is still wrong. Nobody in the right frame of mind would do that.

Selangor Umno not only did not come out to defend the parent who highlighted this matter, they even call for the parent to be charged for sedition and insisted that the authorities not to act against the headmaster.

It is like freeing the bad guys and killing the hero. This is most ridiculous. It goes to so how low Umno politicians are willing to go.

Jessy43: Noh Omar, can you please explain why 29 students could not eat in the canteen built for 500 when no others were using it?

Can you explain why the canteen had to be closed for three months to change the teachers' canteen glass doors? Can you explain why immediately after Deputy Education Minister II P Kamalanathan's visit, the children were able to use the canteen?

Noh, can you answer these questions logically and clearly before you say things to make the situation worse? And finally if Muslim students in another country were asked to eat in the shower room although the dining area was available, would you be happy?

CiViC: Honestly for a moment I was lost, thinking I was in a movie. Only in movies can such ridiculous things happen.

The ones who highlight the truth are being threatened, being asked to apologise, and those who did wrong are protected and hailed as heroes.

If there are any seditious elements in here, it is in Noh asking for action against the parents.

TakBolehTahan: The big guy bullies a mother who was concerned about the well-being of her child? What a hero.

ZhuGeLiang: It doesn't matter whether it is Muslims or non-Muslims who were forced to use the shower room as a canteen. The shower room is unhygienic, smelly and infested with bacteria. Nobody can dispute that.

That's why we are advised to wash our hands after going to the toilet. Does the headmaster not know that? Is he not a family man with children? How would he feel if his children were treated this way?

This kind of action should not be condoned. It is clearly wrong, irrespective of race. At the least, the headmaster should be reprimanded.

But if the authorities continue to condone this kind of wrongdoing, the rakyat will begin to lose faith in our laws.

But to punish the whistleblower for sedition - that's ludicrous. I just can believe any law-abiding citizen would dare contemplate such a recommendation unless he thinks he is the law himself.

Sincere Citizen: Noh, please don't threaten the canteen whistleblower for sedition. The whistleblower has got the right to complain and make sure that the children are in a safe and hygienic place to have their food.

For health reasons, why not you try to get the approval from the Health Department to certify whether the enclosed room is fit for a canteen?

Slumdog: Noh Omar, you are contemptible. When Umno gets involved, it always results in a racial issue.

The frequent urging by Umno members and supporters to charge all and sundry with the Sedition Act for simply speaking the truth is getting out of hand.

The Act is being abused to the point where just about anything that is said, tweeted, blogged, emailed and posted on Facebook, is deemed seditious by Umno's supporters, just because they don't like the message.

Vii: The victim/whistleblower will be charged with sedition whereas the accused is to be protected? No wonder, Malaysia is a safe haven for racists and criminals.

Odin: You are only partly right, Noh Omar. The parent concerned and all who have objected to the pupils having been made to eat next to filthy toilets ought not to be investigated but immediately arrested under the Sedition Act and sent to jail for life.

There is no need for a trial even. As for you, go sell your prawns, and with the proceeds erect a solid gold statue in honour of the headmaster for his extraordinarily meritorious service in the field of education, and in promoting racial and religious harmony.

Paul Warren: So I suppose making police reports of a crime committed against you could also be construed to be seditious as it would impact unfavourably on the crime statistics and this in turn will embarrass the Home Ministry and unfavourably project the country as a crime-laden land.

ACR: The truth is not out yet. The headmaster and his supporters' stories have been changing it every other day.

If this continues, I recommend the parents make a police report against Noh and those who have threatened them under section 503 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation.

Anonymous #40538199: I think those who support the decision of letting pupils to eat in the shower room, should practice it with their family by dining in their shower rooms and bathing in their dining room.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .