Dap Slams Wee For Sparking Community Furore With Status Of Chinese Characters In Petaling St Signage

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MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has been ticked off by DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) for triggering unnecessary uproar within the Chinese community with his unfounded claim that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) planned to remove Chinese characters from the Petaling Street signboard.
This follows DBKL rubbishing such allegations as “baseless” while confirming that the signboard installed at the Jalan Petaling hawker centre complies with the established guidelines and policies.
The local authority for the Federal capital went on to explain that all decisions pertaining to signboards are made in accordance with the Federal Territory Advertisement By-Laws 1982 while taking into account heritage, cultural aspects and the needs of the local community.
“As a seasoned MP and member of the coalition government, Wee should have verified his claim before making such a weighty statement affecting many stakeholders,” berated DAPSY’s Federal Territory chief Yap Yee Vonne in a Facebook post.

“Such behaviour undermines public trust and contradicts the government’s collective efforts to combat misinformation and fake news.”
The political secretary of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh further took a jibe at the five-term Ayer Hitam MP and former Transport Minister:
“At this crucial time, Malaysia needs builders who will come together to foster harmony, not individuals who seek attention through unfounded allegations.
“Let’s focus on the bigger picture and work collaboratively for the nation’s progress. DAP is certainly doing that – when will MCA learn and follow suit?”
Recall that Wee had on Sunday (Feb 23) expressed MCA’s strong stance against DBKL’s purported plan “to remove the three Chinese characters for Petaling Street (茨厂街) from signboards”.

Addressing the concerns raised by Kuala Lumpur Hawkers and Traders Association president Datuk Seri Ang Say Tee, Wee had contended that the Chinese characters should not be an issue so long as they comply to the FT Advertisement By-Laws 1982 and the 1976 Local Government Act which require the national language to be prominently displayed and larger than other languages.
“The name Petaling Street originates from a tapioca flour factory (referred to as 茨粉厂 in Chinese) which was established by Kapitan Yap Ah Loy, one of Kuala Lumpur’s founding figures,” Wee further justified.
“This location has witnessed the birth and over a century of development of our capital city, making it an essential part of Malaysia’s history.” – Focus Malaysia

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