Negeri Sembilan excos defend move to rename road after DAP founder

Two Negeri Sembilan excos have defended the state government's move to rename a road after the founder of DAP, cautioning against making a mountain out of a molehill. 

Klewang assemblyman Bakri Sawir also told MalaysiaNow that there was no connection between "old stories" and the background of a leader who had contributed greatly to the state. 

"Why talk about things like communist founders and so on? Even the Chinese government now has ties with Malaysia. 

"So why bring up the matter of communists in Malaysia?"

Selangor Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun said on Feb 15 that two main roads in the state had been renamed after leaders for their long years of service.

Jalan Sikamat was renamed as Jalan Datuk Sheikh Mohd Murtadza Ahmad after the former Negeri Sembilan mufti.

Jalan Temiang meanwhile was renamed as Jalan Dr Chen Man Hin.

Aminuddin said the decision to rename Jalan Temiang was to commemorate the service of Chen, who founded DAP and went on to become the party's chairman and lifelong adviser.

Chen, who helped establish DAP in Seremban, died aged 97 on Aug 17, 2022. 

Murtadza meanwhile was Negeri Sembilan mufti from 1987 to 2008 and contributed to the establishment of the Apostasy Enactment in 2004 and the Order Control Enactment in 2007.

The decision to rename Jalan Temiang after Chen sparked debate, with some saying that many other leaders were more deserving of the recognition. 

Others meanwhile claimed it was a populist move to promote DAP's ideology of fighting for secularism in the country. 

But Bakri said that the state government always discussed any change of names with its exco line-up. 

"This is the norm in other places, too," he said. 

"We discuss the procedure at the state government level, then we present it to Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir for approval. And he has given his consent." 

Personally, Bakri said, he saw nothing wrong with the decision despite the protest raised by some others. 

He said everybody had the right to object and to give their views on the matter. 

"We see it one way, and other people see it from another," he added. 

"It cannot be from just one perspective. We accept the views of all, so there's no reason to blow this out of proportion when for me, it is not an issue at all." 

Repah assemblyman S Veerapan meanwhile said that Chen deserved the recognition due to his long service as a medical doctor. 

"He provided his service for free to the people of Negeri Sembilan, for everyone who went to his clinic," he said. 

He added that the state government believed the time had come to express its appreciation as Chen had greatly helped the people without taking into consideration race or religion. 

MalaysiaNow reached out to former menteri besar Mohamad Hasan but did not receive a response on the matter.