Blog post by Teresa Kok, DAP candidate for Seputeh, on 2 March 2008

Today, after my press conference at Taman Wawasan, Puchong, I received a call from my assistant Emily that there was a billboard erected in front of my Seputeh office and I was the lead cast.

The billboard shows me (a sexy woman in red) hugging Mr Kinrara after dumping my old lover Mr Seputeh. with a message “Once and for all, we will never abandon you, please vote BN.”

My members and I had a press conference and protested in front of the billboard.

Another billboard at 5th mile, Old Klang Road. It shows me leaving Mr Kinrara rocketing towards Mr. Seputeh.

I feel utterly disgusted with this defamation. It insinuates that I am a “loose” woman, where I would abandon my “old lover” (Mr Seputeh) and fall into the arms of another man (Mr Kinrara).

When I was told by reporters that Carol Chew was the one who launched the cartoon billboard yesterday, I was extremely shocked. I thought, What???!! Does she know what she is she doing?

MCA Wanita always claimed they uphold women’s rights and dignity. As Carol Chew was Ng Yen Yen’s PA for so many years, hasn’t she learnt anything about defending the rights and dignity of women? Or is she prepared to throw that all away to play dirty politics by indugling in such disgusting tactics of defamatory attack?

I have been refraining from criticising Carol Chew from day one because I believe in a ”gentlewoman’s” fight. But, after seeing these disgusting cartoons, I think it is time I put my foot down and say that all gloves are off.

—

Apparently, according to a Malay Mail report, Chew has been ordered to remove the billboards. What’s her response?

Mail Mail report on 4 March 2008

DEFIANT!

DESPITE a directive from City Hall to remove all 12 billboards featuring ‘suggestive’ caricatures of Seputeh incumbent Teresa Kok by midnight yesterday, Barisan Nasional hopeful Carol Chew showed her defiance by sticking to her guns.

Chew, when contacted at 7pm yesterday, said she would not bring down the billboards but, in stead, would replace them with different caricatures.

“Things are going according to plan. We have a series of caricatures and will put up a new one every day,” she said.

She declined to say if the other caricatures will continue to fea ture her opponent in a similar manner.

“It’s not my intention to discriminate. Our message on the billboard was distorted by DAP to evoke a certain reaction among voters.

Chew, who said she would leave it to voters when asked if this would affect her image, said: “As a woman, I won’t insult another woman.

“We are merely questioning the priorities of our opponent here. We hope that she’s not taking the support of Seputeh voters for granted.

“If the opposition can claim that MCA is corrupt, why can’t we question the loyalty of our opponent?”

When asked if she thinks that this will affect Seputeh residents’ impression of her, she said she would leave it to the voters to decide.

Checks by The Malay Mail after midnight yesterday showed that six billboards still had caricatures depicting Kok as a woman finding new love in ‘Mr Kinrara’ and is torn between her new love and former flame, ‘Mr Seputeh’.

On Sunday, Kok lodged a com plaint with the Election Commission regarding the billboards.

The Malay Mail had yesterday carried a report quoting Kok as saying that the caricatures depicted her as a “loose woman”.

The DAP incumbent had said that the remarks on the caricatures were sexist and below the belt.

Following our report, an EC officer had issued an ultimatum, through City Hall, to Chew to dis mantle the billboards before mid night yesterday.

A Kuala Lumpur City Hall elections operations room spokesman said the decision was made as the billboards had contravened the Election Act 1954 under Section 4A (1) for promoting ill-will or hostility.

It was also learnt that Chew did not have City Hall’s permission to put up the billboards.

“We informed Barisan Nasional’s Seputeh election agent that the billboards must come down by midnight tonight (yesterday).

“If that does not happen, DBKL will not hesitate to pull it down and a stern warning will be is sued,” he said last night.

It was reported that there are 12 such billboards in Seputeh, scattered around areas like Taman Gembira, OUG, Jalan Kuchai Lama, Taman Desa and Jalan Kelang Lama.

At her Press conference yesterday, Kok expressed her disap pointment over Chew’s act.

“I just want a fair fight and I didn’t expect her to do this.

“There are other male candid ates who are contesting both seats.

“Why did Chew pick on a female candidate like me?”

MCA Federal Territory chairman Datuk Tan Chai Ho, however, was adamant that Chew had done nothing wrong.

“It is up to the EC to make the decision.

“As far as I am concerned, there is no right or wrong here,” he said.
He declined to say if this could affect Chew’s performance.

Tan, who is running for the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat, said MCA candidates need not get his permission on how to run their election campaigns in their constituencies.

“It is all in Chew’s hands as she is the one contesting in the con stituency.

“I am in no position to comment as it does not involve my constituency.

“There are bodies to oversee such matters, like the EC monitoring
committee that has guidelines for election campaigns. Candidates should abide by the guidelines,” he said.