Umno vs DAP youths: some maturity please, stop calling others stupid, Yii tells Akmal

Umno Youth chief had called a government minister ‘stupid’ for criticising boycott initiatives

DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii (right) has called out Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh for name-calling political figures on social media instead of voicing constructive criticism. – Combo pic, April 12, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR – Young political leaders should push for a more mature democracy and politics, and not show immaturity by resorting to name-calling, said DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii.

He said as a young leader, Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh should be setting a good example even if he disagrees with the actions of a minister in the unity government.

“Whether we agree with the actions or statements that were said, as a young leader, he should bring proper and mature arguments to the table, either to refute the statement or to add constructive criticism.

“Our politics cannot merely be reduced to name-calling or mud-slinging which has degraded the current state of our political discourse to where it is now,” he said in a statement today.

“Argue policy with policy, proposals with better proposals, and discourse with mature discourse. Only then our politics can mature and really add value to our society.”

Yii, who is also Bandar Kuching MP, was commenting on Akmal’s Facebook post which labelled Perak DAP chief and Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming as “stupid”.

Akmal said: “To the not-so-smart (Nga), the country’s economy is bad because there are ministers like you! Stupid!”

Earlier, Nga posted on X that a news site had reported on how boycott initiatives by “irresponsible” quarters had caused the nation’s workforce to suffer the consequences.

“Don’t even fall into the trap set by instigators. Our nation needs cooperation from all parties to advance our economy,” he added in the post, which has gained about 139,900 views since it was uploaded yesterday. – April 12, 2024