A DAP parliamentarian was the target of brickbats for his off-colour remarks on social media concerning the passing of PAS spiritual leader, the late Haron Din, who died yesterday.
Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin bemoaned the "political stupidity" of certain DAP leaders whose seem to incite the anger from certain races for no apparent political benefit to the party or to the nation.
While Asri did not mention names, he was clearly referring to the tweets by DAP Jelutong parliamentarian Jeff Ooi on Haron's passing.
Asri argued that even if some people may have differences with those who have recently departed, a wise person would postpone airing his or her views until a more opportune time.
Only a "stupid" leader who is not in tune with the sensitivities of the public or certain groups would do so, seemingly without cause, he said.
"What is the use of the unsightly remarks by a certain DAP leader about the passing of the late Haron Din at this time?
"If this is the mentality of the said person, it shows that he does not deserve to lead at any level in Malaysia's multiracial society," the mufti lambasted.
However, Asri noted that there are, thankfully, other DAP official statements displaying a mature political acumen.
PAS Youth calls on Ooi to apologise
In a separate statement, PAS Youth urged Ooi to apologise to the family of the late Haron for his “rude tweet” on the PAS ulama's passing.
The movement labelled Ooi as the "most uncouth MP in the nation" for his untimely remarks on social media, warning that the lack of admonishment from the DAP leadership could portray that this is the official party stand.
"Jeff Ooi must not only remove his offending tweet but must apologise to the deceased's family to show his remorse and that he has truly retracted his remarks," PAS Youth information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said.
The movement will also be lodging a police report against Ooi at 5pm today.
Meanwhile, Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman also added his voice against his political colleague.
Mansor labelled Ooi's tweets as “insolent and irresponsible” for poking fun at the death of the late Haron, which has become the talk on the social media.
"I would like to state Penang PKR's position that we distance ourselves from Ooi's racist and foolish action," the Nibong Tebal MP said in a statement.
Ooi defends tweet
Yesterday, Ooi tweeted “Adios Haron Din. Let there be peace'’ soon after the news of the cleric's passing broke.
The DAP leader defended himself, arguing that "adios" was not a bad word if his detractors were to check the dictionary, and insisted that he meant no insult.
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, "adios" literally means goodbye in Spanish. Ooi has since apparently deleted that particular tweet.
He also posted other tweets that said Haron's death was ordained by God and not our concern, though he added that he believed the late PAS spiritual leader contributed to the schism that led to the break-up of the former opposition pact, Pakatan Rakyat.
However, some have pointed out it was not “adios” that may be the problem but his use of the phrase "let there be peace" along with the mention of Haron as having a hand in Pakatan's troubles.
Contacted over the matter, Ooi reiterated that he meant no disrespect to Haron.
"Frankly, I am not a fan of the late Haron Din, politically speaking. Since he was part of Pakatan Rakyat once upon a time, I wished him farewell. I have no intent to write him a eulogy, nor to belittle him or his family.
"My focus now is on analysing the data hidden in the SPR's proposed redelineation of constituencies in Sabah and Semenanjung Malaysia," Ooi said, shifting the issue.
Asked why he deleted that particular tweet on Haron, Ooi responded that the words "Adios Haron Din. Let there be peace", was actually tweeted in his retweet of another user's post, also related to Haron's passing.
"The Twitter user, an ex-journalist, informed me that he had shut down his Twitter and asked me to un-tweet him. I obliged, though I didn't endorse or oppose his tweet," Ooi said, thereby removing his own entry attached to the re-tweet.