Chua confident A-G, cops will not react to demands

MALIM NAWAR: Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is confident that the police and the Attorney-General’s (AG) Chambers will not react to demands that his speech made at a recent economic congress be deemed seditious.

“My speech during the congress was made in front of the Prime Minister and no one touched on the special rights of Malays or issues which can be declared as seditious,” said the MCA president.

Dr Chua was also unperturbed by Perkasa’s call for him to be charged for sedition.

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali claimed Dr Chua’s persistent call to abolish the 30% bumiputra equity quota has distressed the community.

At the Aug 14 congress, Dr Chua said the MCA had advocated that bumiputras be given price preferences in certain economic sectors when the economy was liberalised for open tender.

To enable bumiputras to compete on a more equitable basis, he said the MCA proposed a gradual reduction of the 30% equity.

Asked whether he was irritated by Perkasa, he said the group had the right to voice their views in a democratic country.

However, he said the media should stop highlighting the views of extremist groups as it would make them bolder in coming out with more extreme demands.

“We are walking into their trap. Their style of politics is the 60s style where they talk about race.

“If the media do not entertain them, they will stop,” he said after a dinner at SJK (C) Ying Sing here yesterday.

Dr Chua said such extremist groups “are getting popular for no reason with the help of the media”.

Earlier in Petaling Jaya, Ibrahim claimed the authorities had sufficient grounds to charge Dr Chua under the Seditions Act.

He said this in response to Perkasa economic bureau director Dr Zubir Harun’s call to have Dr Chua arrested under the Internal Security Act for disregarding “national interest”.

Perkasa and the Malay Consultative Council had condemned some resolutions made during the congress.

Dr Zubir was quoted in an online news portal as saying that Chua had made unwarranted demands.

THE STAR (Monday August 23, 2010)