Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail gave words of high praise for state executive councillors from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) during a speech at a workshop.
Needless to say, his statement left a longstanding coalition partner feeling slighted, with its secretary-general demanding an explanation.
‘DAP easier to work with than MCA’
In his speech, Wan Rosdy said DAP state executive councillors helped to smoothen administrative matters within the state government, adding it was a far cry from when the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) was at the helm.
“With DAP in the state executive councillor line-up, when I said we wanted to provide two months’ salary, not a single word of objection was raised.
Over the past three years, I want to say that sometimes it has been easier to work with them than with MCA.
“At times, they (DAP) give good advice regarding leakages, potholes, and other matters,” he said as quoted by NST.
Wan Rosdy added that given the DAP excos’ performance, it can no longer be used as an excuse to attack the BN-PH state government, which the opposition has accused of being secular and neglectful of the Malay and Muslim communities.
MCA: ‘What do you mean by this?’
Wan Rosdy’s statement didn’t sit well with MCA, with its secretary-general Chong Sin Woon expressing bewilderment and unhappiness over it.
In a statement, Chong called upon Wan Rosdy to shed more light on the issues he reportedly found hard to work with MCA on.
“As the Pahang Barisan Nasional (BN) Chairperson, what exactly is YAB Wan Rosdy trying to express with this remark?
“Which matter or issue does this refer to, and who does it involve? This is important to clarify so that we, particularly those of us in MCA Pahang, can better understand his intentions and what is being implied,” he said.
Chong noted MCA had long been a component of BN and will continue to “work hard in the interests of the rakyat, and strives to regain public support, especially from all communities.”
“As for the performance of MCA and DAP, we leave it entirely to Malaysians to judge for themselves,” he added.
Pahang UMNO clarifies
Following the furore, UMNO Pahang’s Head of Information Dato’ Sri Hajah Shahaniza Shamsuddin released a statement in an attempt to clear the air.
She said Wan Rosdy’s remark must be understood within the context of administrative experience and the need to ensure the state government’s runs smoothly.
In that process, the experience of working with various parties will naturally differ depending on the situation, timing, and issues at hand.
Hajah Shahaniza also reiterated that UMNO Pahang does not intend to sideline any political party who contributed to the state’s development.
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