On A Suing Spree
Since taking my seat in the Senate, I have had an opportunity of watching at close quarters the performance of Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong, the Deputy Minister of Education, and I have been enormously impressed by his thoroughly professional approach and attitude to his ministerial duty. He has always struck me as a person of a liberal turn of mind, and I was, therefore, taken by complete surprise to read in the print media that he ” had contacted the Bernama TV producer and the programme host of the ‘live’ show (January 
to say that he will also take legal action against them.” And all this in an obvious attempt to muzzle the forthright social activist and anti-corruption advocate,Tan Sri Robert Phang, from exercising his citizen’s right to fair and responsible comment on the PKFZ affair, a subject of great public interest. The live talk show was was stopped dead in its tracks
well before time and viewers were short changed.
Not content with using his position to direct and influence the government-linked Bernama TV channel, he again sought to silence
dissenting views by obtaining a court order to force the proceedings of a press conference called by Robert Phang to be halted in
mid-sentence. I have never in my life come across anyting quite like it in any open, democratic society. Wee Ka Siong has every right to sue, but surely he must first listen to what his critics have to say before threatening to go on a suing spree. His actions in these two instances have naturally invited questions about the cause of his behaviour, bordering on the obsessive. He has opened himself to imputaions of improper motives, and abuse of power.And he has only himself to blame in the circumstances.
The PKFZ scandal has rocked this nation, and as he himself has admitted, “his former consultantcy firm, Hijau Sekitar Sdn. Bhd. was engaged by Wijaya Baru Sdn. Bhd. to produce a feasibility study of port expansion in Port Klang.” Robert Phang’s suggestion that given Wee Ka Siong’s familiarity with the project through his firm’s participation in the early stages puts him in a usefu position to come forward as an important witness in the current inquiry into the affair. We should wecome this helpful suggestion because we all have a positive role to play in the fight against corruption.
As a responsible leader, Wee Ka Siong must realise that his behaviour in this case smacks of abuse of influence peddling, and that is being charitable. We live in a society aspiring to democratic principles and behaviour in public life. Let us lead by example.
Tunku Abdul Aziz
Kuala Lumpur.