War of words as Soi Lek, Guan Eng square off in second debate

By Lisa J. Ariffin

July 08, 2012

 

Lim Guan Eng and Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek at the debate organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) at the Sunway Convention Centre today. – Photo by Siow Feng Saw

PETALING JAYA, July 8 – It was a game of mudslinging when political rivals Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and Lim Guan Eng took the debate stage this afternoon for the second time in months, with both men slagging off on one another over the failed policies of their respective parties.

Dr Chua sniped at Lim’s DAP, accusing it of masquerading as a multiracial party when its leaders only dared to contest in Chinese-majority constituencies.

“Why don’t you contest in multiracial constituencies? We are a mono-ethnic party but our aims are clear,” he said during the debate organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) at the Sunway Convention Centre.

The debate, titled “Whose policies benefit the country more”, is the second such face-off between the two political veterans in months.

“In this country, we have to balance the needs and sensitivities of all races. No particular race will feel happy,” Dr Chua pointed out.

He accused the DAP of often claiming to the country’s Chinese community that they have been marginalised under Barisan Nasional’s (BN) rule but reminded the opposition party that the poverty rate of the Chinese is still the lowest among the country’s three major races.

“Employment (rate), the highest. Property ownership, the largest,” he thundered. “We cannot deny that in the implementation process, there are those who benefit more than others and this is the bone of contention.... it causes a lot of Chinese to be angry with the government and MCA bears the burden of this.”