Is the insult by Sungai Rapat (Perak) state assemblyperson Hamidah Osman reflective of BN’s treatment of MIC and Indians in general? One cannot forget Lim Keng Yaik’s famous words as well – something to do with rubber trees (wonder why no one protested him getting Tun). Obviously in a multiracial country, there’s always friendly banter between friends of different races, calling each other names. But that is in an informal, friendly environment. But in a formal setting, the assemblyperson should have known better. Now, Hamidah has become a liability for BN. Apology and wasting money going around her constituency will be wastage only. She might even be greeted with slippers. Best if she resign and save MIC from trying to do a salvage job. The story is below:

Hamidah insulted the Assembly Speaker Sivakumar and his race when she asked him whether he ‘agreed to
disagree’ with a well-known fable of whether a snake or a man from a
certain racial community should be killed first.

Her question caused a commotion by the ruling coalition asking her to retract her question, but Hamidah insisted that she was
merely asking if Sivakumar “agreed to disagree” with it and pleaded innocence.

The
speaker who is also DAP Tronoh assemblyperson instead let her off the
hook with a mere warning of “not to repeat such sensitive remarks.” She later retracted her words after being ordered to do so by the BN whip.

Realising her political mistake (though not necessarily repented) she publicly apologised for hurting the Indian community at a packed press conference in the Ipoh Country Club this
morning, saying that it was not her intention to hurt
the Indian community with a racial slur.

“I have already
retracted my statement in the House and now, I am offering my humble
and sincere apology here to all Indians for uttering the racist remarks
in the heat of the moment.

“I regret for saying that and promise
not to repeat it anywhere anymore,” said a visibly moved Hamidah, who
plans to embark on a ‘constituency road show’ to explain and apologise
over the incident to electorates in Gopeng, which encompasses Sungai
Rapat.

The Buntong assemblyman Sivasubramaniam had this to say (trust the ruling party to use this extensively):

DAP Buntong state assemblyperson A Sivasubramaniam did
not mince his words, labeling her “a racist upholding BN tradition of
racial brand politics”.

“It is ungainly graceless for a people’s
representative to utter such racist remarks against the speaker and his
community,” he said.

Sivasubramaniam
also said Hamidah’s remarks was proof that BN, particularly Umno, had
yet to accept its electoral defeat and conform to the reality that “a
speaker of Indian origin was presiding the House”.

“She and Umno are playing with fire by hurting the racial sentiment of others,” he told Malaysiakini.

Anyway, she was forced to make a public apology, causing a humiliation to BN, and probably take off the pressure from Nizar’s administration for the moment. She was not referred to the Privileges Committee because according to Malaysiakini:

However, a Perak
government insider said Hamidah was not referred to the Privilege
Committee because she was deliberately left to “suffer public
condemnation”.

“She could have become an Umno ‘heroine’ and
evaded public humiliation since she would gain ‘immunity’ if referred
to the committee.

“The game plan worked to force Hamidah to come
out and openly apologise to Indians in Perak and the country as well,”
the insider said.