Bersatu youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal may be persona non grata inside the Malaysian Parliament these days but that doesn't seem to have stopped the outspoken Machang MP from shooting his mouth off at his political enemies - even if he is doing it from a coffee shop!
The UK-educated Wan Fayhsal, a fierce critic of PM Anwar’s unity government, and especially DAP, was back in the news again recently after threatening to lodge police reports against veteran Seputeh MP Teresa Kok; this was after the DAP leader had voiced her opposition to the controversial proposal by the country’s religious affairs minister to impose halal certification for restaurants that don’t serve pork and alcohol.
Incidentally, the young Bersatu leader seemed to have succeeded with his threats as the DAP vice-president was recently called in by the police for questioning; she is now under investigation for allegedly touching on religious sensitivities and if convicted risks losing her seat in Parliament (and joining Wan Fayhsal!) - although she may not have been the one who had triggered the controversy!
No Parliament, no problem! The local kampung coffee shop will do, for his daily “hot” debates!!
Meanwhile, in a press conference organised by his party’s youth wing Armada last Tuesday (Sept 10), Wan Fayhsal seemed to have carried on with the endless tirade against his political opponents particularly the DAP.
In the presser, he had called on the Public Account Committee (PAC) to investigate a string of “complaints” including Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd's privatisation plan (involving the Israeli-linked BlackRock), Malaysia Aviation Group’s technical problems with its aircrafts and Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad’s RM10.7 billion lease of trains from China; not surprisingly, all these are under the jurisdiction of the transport minister Anthony Loke - who also happens to be the secretary-general of DAP!
However, the Bersatu MP’s demands for PAC to act are unlikely to be met unless there were solid grounds for the committee to conduct a probe; furthermore, banned from Parliament until the end of the year, his calls to summon the Ministry of Transport, Khazanah Nasional Berhad and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for investigations will most likely fall on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, touching on the upcoming by-election for the Mahkota state seat in Johor, Wan Fayhsal conceded that his coalition Perikatan Nasional was the underdog but he has defiantly vowed to fight till the end; according to him, the by-election will be crucial as it will send a signal to Putrajaya on whether Johor Malays are comfortable with DAP in the state government; however, he did not elaborate on that statement.
For the record, the Mahkota state constituency comprises 66,318 voters, with Malays making up 56%, Chinese 34%, Indians 8%, and others 2%; and, on paper at least based on past election results and racial demographics there it may appear like an uphill task for PN to cause an upset.
Nevertheless, it is believed that the recent controversy surrounding the halal certification for eateries (especially for non-Muslim businesses!) may have the potential to throw a spanner into the works; this is because the issue has triggered a massive backlash from non-Malays in the country, and moreover, given the perception that DAP’s top leaders did not respond “bravely” enough to the crass personal attack on their colleague Teresa Kok by Umno’s fiery youth leader Dr Akmal Saleh, Wan Fayhsal and his PN comrades may quietly fancy their chances.
The bottom line is, with the "unity" government seemingly in disarray and perpetually in self-destruct mode (no thanks to a petulant Umno Youth whom PM Anwar seems strangely reluctant to reprimand) there may not be a need for the motor-mouthed Bersatu youth leader to be present in the Parliament after all to “roast” his enemies; the local warong (coffee shop) will do!
Information source: Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Facebook, Malay Mail and FMT
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