'Jangan Lawan Tauke’ placards spoil Masing’s day

Posted on April 9, 2012, Monday

A CASE OF BAD JOKE?: The placards which were placed about 1km from Masing’s house yesterday.

KUCHING: Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing was not amused by several placards erected at a junction not far from his house yesterday.

The 20 or so placards, which amongst them said ‘Jangan Lawan Tauke! Siapa Tauke!’ and ‘Masing Masing Hilang!, were believed to have been aimed at Masing in response to a remark he made recently.

“These are the work of people who are frustrated by the
practices of parliamentary democracy thus resulting in a public display of their frustrations. They simply can’t understand the meaning of majority rules,” said Masing, who is also PRS president, when contacted yesterday.

Masing had remarked “Jangan Lawan Tauke” (Don’t Fight The Boss) sometime last month when defending the party’s Youth chief Datuk Mong Dagang for stopping the welfare assistance and subsidies given to physically-challenged farmer Frusis Lebi from Sri Aman. Mong, who is also Assistant Agriculture Minister, had instructed a government agency to stop giving aid to Frusis because he had supported the opposition and even flew an opposition flag near his house in the last state election.

The ‘Jangan Lawan Tauke’ remark has been challenged strongly by the opposition.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak vice chairman See Chee How had even invited Masing to a “Who’s The Boss’ forum on April 15, which Masing had rejected.

See, who is also Batu Lintang assemblyman, said in a statement yesterday that the placards were not put up by him.

“A very good idea, I must say, to respond to Tan Sri James Masing’s refusal to face the public. But this is not done by me.”

The placards, positioned near the Jalan Rock-Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho traffic lights junction, were believed to have been put up early yesterday morning. They were removed by the local council sometime in the afternoon.