The Petaling Jaya MCA Youth has called for a police investigation into a dispute involving the party and Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Akmal Salleh over the phrase “crazy horse,” which they believe was deliberately mistranslated to mislead the public. The youth wing is concerned that the misinformation could be exploited by ill-intentioned parties and further deepen social divisions, affecting harmony between different ethnic groups.
MCA Youth deputy chief Lee Yee Yuan emphasized the importance of upholding the truth and preventing the spread of false information. The report was lodged by Petaling Jaya MCA Youth chief Teoh Tuck Wah, who stressed that freedom of speech should be based on facts and reason, rather than misrepresentation and misinformation. He urged all parties to verify information before drawing conclusions to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts.
The controversy began when Akmal criticized Johor MCA deputy publicity chief Law Yiak Kwang for using the Chinese term ‘癫马’ in social media posts, which translates to “crazy horse.” Dr Akmal alleged that the term was an insult to Malays, while Law claimed it meant “Akmal who always acts irrationally.” The dispute escalated, with Dr Akmal planning legal action against Law and MCA vice-president Datuk Tan Teck Cheng defending Law. Umno supreme council member Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi also weighed in, calling on MCA to reflect on why it had lost the support of non-Malay voters.
