
For reasons best known to itself, Pas seems to have an incurable passion to trace family trees among its political foes, particularly those from the DAP.
Unfortunately, a Pas politician’s attempt at tracing the family history of certain politicians resulted in a defamation suit not long ago.
Pas politicians who lost in defamation suits arising from this and other endeavours have had to pay huge damages.
For instance, Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad had to pay RM825,000 for trying to link DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, his son Lim Guan Eng and Teresa Kok to the late Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng in a speech while campaigning for the Kemaman by-election in 2023.
Chin Peng would have turned in his grave, or rather urn, if he knew someone had gone to great lengths to link him to the three top guns of a supposedly socialist DAP. He would have been even more amazed to know that Mastura could have been declared bankrupt had she not paid up.
Luckily for her, Pas took it as a ‘jihad’ to save her – as well as her party – from such a calamity. Hence, the so-called jihad donation drive.
The latest failed venture involves Perak Pas commissioner Razman Zakaria falsely claiming that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is the daughter of YTL Corp founder Yeoh Tiong Lay. He made the alleged link in relation to his reported allegation that the Umno-led state government had in the past sold a Perak cement company to the YTL Group.
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Obviously unamused, the DAP minister categorically denied she was related to the late Yeoh, pointing out that not all Yeohs are related.
Razman has since apologised to Hannah after realising the mistake he made.
Although the Perak state assembly member had apologised to other politicians a few times in the past over remarks that put him in trouble, it would be a stretch to describe him as a consummate ‘apologist’.
Perhaps Razman could have had a better idea of who Hannah really is, had he read her much-talked-about book Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey. But then, that is just a suggestion. One is not compelled to read it.
It is common knowledge in our diverse society that not every Chinese with the same clan name or surname is related to each other.
But perhaps for Razman and his ilk, those many Chinese surnames are too overwhelming for them to understand their cultural significance.
Maybe Pas politicians should assign someone from within their ranks to take up onomastics (the science or study of the origin and forms of proper names of persons or places).
Such an important body of knowledge would be immensely useful in helping Pas avoid unnecessary defamation suits, which could cost the party an arm and a leg.
The likes of Razman should be mindful that similar errors, if committed in the future, would not be taken too kindly because two Wongs (sorry, wrongs) don’t make a right.
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