AUG 29 — It is shocking and pathetic that themalaymailonline.com has completely ditched ethical journalism down the drain by twisting my press statement and its title which called for dialogue between affected parties in the decision by the Joint Management Board (JMB) to prohibit African tenants to one which erroneously declared that the ban is not racist as it has majority support as evidenced in the title of your article, “MCA: Majority backing means ‘African’ ban racist” along with its opening sentence “A ban on ‘African’ tenants at a Bandar Sri Subang condominium is not racist as the majority of residents were in favour of the prohibition, the MCA argued today”.

Dialogue needed for solution

You omitted mentioning my opening paragraph whereby I said the “JMB must handle this issue very delicately, and to find a more appropriate solution.”

In fact, the subject of the e-mail which was sent to news agencies read “Press Statement by MCA Central Committee member Sdr Loh Seng Kok (Deputy Chairman of MCA Publicity Bureau) - Affected parties of Ridzuan Condo should dialogue to reach a resolve” which expressed the title of my press statement ie “Affected parties should dialogue to reach a resolve”.

Even worse, you totally excluded even scant mention of the title and core content of my press statement which was to call for dialogue between the JMB, residents, African tenants, elected representatives, police and local authorities “to discuss counter-measures which can remedy the situation.”

You also ignored my recommendation that “other representatives who could be present at the dialogue can include personnel from the Home Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy diplomats representing the countries where the tenants hail from.”

I also explained that “the purpose of the dialogue is to reach an amiable solution, reduce security problems highlighted by the residents …”

By conjuring a baseless and debased title, your neglect is mischievous and suggests a deliberate attempt to portray MCA as supporting a controversial measure which borders racial prejudice/discrimination which was/is never the intention of my party or myself. Neither was even an iota of such a suggestion contained in my press statement.

On the contrary, the second paragraph of my press statement highlighted that “such an action can easily be misconstrued as a form of racism, racial discrimination.”

I wish to raise these other pointers to you:

1) Reference to the majority of the residents who voted for the ban at the JMB’s AGM was quoted from the second paragraph of your news “At Subang condo, ban against ‘African’ tenants” which first broke the story on 26 August 2013. It was never made up or introduced by me. Even your article yesterday carrying my press statement reiterates your earlier news report that “The decision came after the majority of the condominium’s residents voted at an AGM held on July 6 against renting their units to foreigners from the continent…”

2) You took my third paragraph out of context. It is clearly meant to be a critique of Malaysians who oppose racism yet are now set to be accused of racial discrimination.

3) What is the basis of themalaymailonline.com’s accusation that I “went on to dispute Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Dato’ Abdul Rahman Dahlan” who called the prohibition ‘grossly unfair’ and ‘racial profiling’? Kindly read the paragraph in full. I wrote, “Recognising comments by the Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government…”

I call on themalaymailonline.com to retract the title of your article and to use “Affected parties should dialogue to reach a resolve” as issued in my press statement, and to print my press statement in full. For your convenience, I once again send you my press statement which was released to news agencies yesterday.

Defining identity

Just for the record, I wish to state that I recognize the issues raised in your articles surrounding what defines “African” and who should be the arbiters of what defines “African” as the blanket ban does not define if “African” is based on ethnicity, genealogy or citizenship.

MCA is fully aware of the controversies as to what defines identity as by this decision, statesmen like Nelson Mandela, President Barack Hussein Obama  and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods will be prohibited from taking up tenancy at Ridzuan Condo.

We also recognise that there are light-complexion Africans like Libyans, Egyptians and Algerians. Likewise, there are also Caucasians who are Africans as evidenced with South African Academy Award winner Charlize Theron.

Nevertheless, it must be pointed out that the security issues raised by the residents owing to the behaviour of some tenants who so happen hail from the Africa must be addressed.

Loh Seng Kok
Member of MCA Central Committee
Member of MCA Presidential Council
Deputy Chairman of MCA Publicity Bureau

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.

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