Police Stop Harapan Bn Ceramah Amids Tension

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SEMENYIH POLLS | Two ceramah sessions by DAP and MCA held some 100 metres apart at eateries in Semenyih were stopped by the police to prevent untoward incidents
This came after a group of unhappy Pakatan Harapan supporters approached a BN truck where MCA's Tee Seng Sein in his speech challenged DAP's Teo Nie Chieng on Chinese education issues
Police officers immediately blocked the Harapan supporters from approaching the truck which was used as a stage, while another officer stepped onto the stage to stop Tee from speaking
The authorities first asked MCA to stop its ceramah and told DAP to do the same
Then one MCA member shouted: "The government suppresses people from speaking."An Election Commission (EC) enforcement officer, who declined to be named, earlier told Malaysiakini that both Harapan and BN obtained police permits to hold their ceramah
The officer admitted he felt something was not right and sought help from the police
Harapan's stage was set in an open space at Vista Valley Semenyih, while BN's truck was parked at Jalan Vista 3
The customers of the hawkers' centre were mainly local Chinese, most of whom Harapan supporters
They constantly booed at MCA speakers led by party secretary-general Chew Mei Fun (photo)
Harapan speakers were Teo and Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang, a DAP veteran
When approached by Malaysiakini, Chew said BN's truck has been at this particular location every day
Some 300 people at the eateries were bombarded by messages and exchanges of speakers from both side
Pasir Gudang MCA division chief Tan Tuan Peng asked how many more rubbish people from Umno would be recruited by Bersatu
"What can be done by PKR if Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) has no plan to relinquish his premiership in two years ?" Tan asked
"If the political scenario is to continue, it would crush the country's economy!"On the Harapan stage, the coalition’s Sungai Pelek state assemblyperson Ronnie Liu said the people who reject racism should not vote for the BN candidate for Semenyih, Zakaria Hanafi
Liu cited cooperation between PAS and Umno and the racial remarks made by BN secretary-general Nazri Abdul Aziz, who claimed the Harapan government was weak and it had surrendered Malay privileges to others
Selangor State Executive Councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah (photo, above) slammed MCA for keeping silent during the 1MDB financial fiasco
In return, an MCA speaker from the party’s Subang division asked Ean Yong for the progress into the cause of death of his former political secretary, Teoh Beng Hock
When Kit Siang took to the stage, he slammed Nazri for being racist by questioning the appointment of non-Malay to top government posts, including the attorney-general Tommy Thomas, chief justice Richard Malanjun and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng
"Is it wrong to have a Chinese as the finance minister?" asked Lim
Another MCA speaker then asked: "Uncle Lim Kit Siang, (do you believe when) when your son said that inflation was recorded at one percent ?""How could he become the finance minister when the economy is in a mess?" the MCA speaker asked
Kit Siang then rebutted that MCA last held the finance minister post in 1976 and since then, nobody in the Chinese-based party has been as good as (former MCA president and former finance minister) Tan Siew Sin
Similarly, Lim defended the appointments of the attorney-general and chief justice
At this time, another MCA speaker took a jest that the incumbent finance minister is merely a bookkeeper
The people who showed up at the eatery obviously supported Harapan more and constantly booed the BN speakers
Yong Poh Onn, a DAP veteran in Kajang, said MCA has no hood as it has been castrated by Najib
"We have to take care of ours, theirs has been castrated and hung it up there, so they dare not to speak up. Do you guys agree what I say, if you agree then boo (MCA)," Yong said, speaking in Hakka
When it came to Teo's turn to speak, the deputy education minister was asked education issues included Unified Education Certificate (UEC) and education allocation
At one point, she was slammed for "not being a Chinese". - Mkini

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