KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Hatred should not be spread upon one’s death even if the deceased is of a different faith or political ideology, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman said Umno could not accept any member who made disparaging statements in such instances, even if the deceased may have uttered insults or said hurtful things themselves when they were alive.
“I want to give my condolences after YB Balakong assemblyman Eddie Ng Tien Chee died in a car crash early this morning,” Zahid said in a statement.
“In the issue of death, even if they have a different religion, what more political differences, hatred should not be spread.”
Former Federal Territories chief Razlan Rafii had called Ng on Twitter a “slanderer” and described the DAP lawmaker as “bad hearted” after the 40-year-old was killed in a car crash early this morning.
He later apologised and deleted his tweet.
Zahid said BN would field a candidate in Balakong after the Election Commission (EC) officially declares a vacancy.
“The candidate will be selected from whichever names are put forth by the component parties that had fielded their candidate in the past 14th general election,” he said.
Ng defeated MCA and PAS in Balakong in the May 9 election with a majority of over 35,000 votes.
