KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng blasted Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s “big brother” remark today, calling it a breach in diplomatic protocol.
In a statement, Lim said that Hishammuddin's excuse that the remark was a personal address to China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was unacceptable, as it was aired during an official diplomatic ceremony and in front of the world’s media.
“If Hishammuddin was using his own pocket money to bring his entourage for a visit to China, I have no issue. Call him (Wang Yi) whatever he wants.
“But his visit was funded by the government, he needs to follow the diplomatic protocols that are already in place!” he said in a statement.
The DAP lawmaker added that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government was often attacked by Umno and PAS leaderships when cooperating with China, adding that no Umno or PAS leader has questioned Hishammuddin’s remark.
“During the PH government’s rule, they were often attacked by Umno and PAS, calling them advocates or defenders of communism — even on a diplomatic capacity.
“None of the leaders of Umno and PAS have questioned Hishammuddin's actions. Is the stance against the communists championed by them over the years a mere smokescreen?
He added that if such remarks were made by DAP ministers such as Anthony Loke or Lim Guan Eng during the PH government’s time in power, they would have been on the receiving end of criticism.
“There would definitely be efforts by certain parties to disarm their citizenship, and DAP would be put in a position where the party’s registration would be investigated or worse, cancelled because of the supposed communist element,” Lim said.
Hishammuddin visited China as part of the republic’s efforts to reach out to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in resolving the ongoing political crisis in Myanmar.
The meeting took place on Thursday, where the minister likened China and Malaysia to brothers, telling Wang that China would always be Malaysia’s 'elder brother'.
