The Malaysian Insight

MANY quarters from within and outside DAP are calling for the party to cut off all ties with Hew Kuan Yau, said sources.

They told The Malaysian Insight that the controversy surrounding the comic book Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism has not only affected its author, Hew, but has also plunged the party into a crisis.

While Hew has stepped down as CEO of the Malaysia-China Business Council (MCBC) yesterday, the grassroots are still peeved with the attitude of party leaders who continue to defend the controversial former member.

Their anger is directed at MCBC chairman Tan Kok Wai, the Cheras MP, who is said to have first rejected Hew’s resignation.

“Many urged Tan to seek Hew’s resignation when the issue first cropped up as they were worried that this will affect Malaysia-China relations, and affect MCBC’s role in the bilateral relations,” a source said.

Tan wanted Hew to withdraw his resignation at first but had no choice but to accept it, the source said.

Grassroots members are now urging the party to steer clear of Hew and the controversies he attract, saying that they are bad for its reputation.

Hew, nicknamed Superman for his T-shirts bearing the comic book superhero’s logo, has been long considered one of DAP’s mouthpieces.

In 2016, he resigned from the party after making controversial statements about the South China Sea, saying he didn’t wish to embroil the party and supporters in unnecessary troubles.

Although he quit the party, he continued to garner the support of leaders.

After Pakatan Harapan took over the federal government in May 2018, DAP’s acting chairman Tan was appointed as MCBC’s chairman.

In January this year, Tan appointed Hew as the CEO of MCBC.

Then, Tan who is also a special envoy to China, said Hew’s appointment was to promote bilateral relations and inter-economic cooperation and development between Malaysia and China.

Hew is also facing police investigation for the comic which caused controversy after it was distributed in schools.

On Wednesday, the Home Ministry banned the comic “because its contents may be detrimental to public order, corrupt the minds of the public, jeopardising morality, public interest and national security”.

However, Hew defended the work, saying it was meant to promote better understanding between Malaysia and China, as well as the initiative.

In a statement yesterday, party stalwart Lim Kit Siang labelled Hew as an “angry young man who was unorthodox and irreverent, to the extent of being extremely crude and vulgar causing great embarrassment all round”.

However, Lim defended Hew by saying that the latter’s attitude was such to fight for justice and a better Malaysia.

“The last thing he would do is to be a communist or to promote communism,” he said, referring to claims that the BRI comic promoted communism.

“I do not agree with all of Hew’s thoughts and ideas and I have not read his comic book when the controversy blew up but Hew is neither a communist nor a communist sympathiser,” added the Iskandar Puteri MP. – October 25, 2019.