I think we should just give Fahmi a few more days to issue an apology to Rafizi and Parti Bersama for alluding that Rafizi paid RM 8.6 million to buy Parti Bersama Malaysia through questionable funding method in his social media post.
Some people, like MIPP's information chief Justin Prabhakaran are asking for Fahmi to be investigated by MCMC for spreading fake news online - which ironically, is something Fahmi himself has repeatedly warned everybody else to not do - but I feel that we should give Fahmi a few more days to do the right thing.
Fahmi is a minister after all, so being an authority figure, it might take him a little longer than other people to get a grip of himself and do the right thing. As a rule, the bigger one is in social standing, the harder it is for one to apologise or admit ones mistake.
But regardless of how big a person he is in society,, Fahmi will have to apologise in the next few days, and set the right example.
He is a minister after all, so the people cannot be expected to continue to respect his authority, when he has gone against the values that he himself preached.
I personally don't see Fahmi tackling Rafizi from behind to be a "red card" offense, even if it is unjustified, for as long as Fahmi apologises.
Politics is a contact sport after all, and in the political arena, passion can get high when the game reaches a fever pitch, and it is not unusual for contestants to butt heads every now and then.
Just because the contestants butt ahead, it doesn't mean that they don't deserve their place in the arena.
But the game itself is bigger than any player, so if a player - even if it is a minister - is bringing dishonor to the game, by stubbornly refusing to abide by the rules of the game, then they need to be removed from the field.
But this does not have to come to that.
This really is not that big of a deal.
If Fahmi apologises, it means that he accepts that for a moment, he allowed his passion to get the better of him and conducted himself in an unsportsmanlike manner, which is a natural part and parcel of the game, and can be forgiven as long as the lapse is not excessive.
If he doesn't however, it means he dishonours the game - it means he doesn't belong in the field - it means he is unworthy of being a contestant in the field of politics -and to continue to accept him as a player is equal to not only accepting the desecration of the arena, but also to disrespect ourselves.
The choice is Fahmi's. I hope he does the right thing.
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