KUALA LUMPU, Oct 31 – Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin says he is perplexed by the controversy sparked by a group of people seen waving China’s national flag during a parade in Teluk Intan last week, FMT news reported.
Khairy noted that while participants also waved Thai and Vietnamese flags during the event, it did not gain the same attention and was not politicised.
Speaking in the latest episode of his Keluar Sekejap podcast, Khairy said although China was known for having supported the communist movement in Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s, the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) had long been defeated.
The former health minister also pointed out that Malaysia became the first country in Asean to establish diplomatic ties with China in 1974, and China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years.
“This issue (flag-waving) is being used to create fear among Malays… Why are we always getting caught up in such issues?
“There may have been some phobia in the past when Beijing supported the CPM, but they (CPM) have been defeated… and China is now our largest trading partner.
“Why hasn’t that softened China’s image among Malaysians? In our cultural imagination, we still hold on to this image of China.”
Khairy noted that the incursions by Chinese vessels in the South China Sea could also have affected Malaysians’ views toward the superpower.
In response, the podcast’s co-host, former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan, said China might not necessarily be as successful at projecting its soft power and influencing cultural perceptions.
“Maybe it’s not just about communism… This is a sensitive topic, but it may be because Malaysian Chinese are seen by some Malays as being a political and economic threat.”
“So even if China is not the target (of animosity), these internal worries (by Malays) are being projected onto China.”
The controversy arose after a video was shared online showing a group of people waving China’s national flag near the Leaning Tower in Teluk Intan during a temple festival and parade on Oct 24.
The organiser later apologised, saying the Chinese flags were displayed by China nationals who attended the festival – and had not been planned by the organisers.
