"Wo Mei You Qian" – Zahid Speaking Chinese During Election Campaign Stuns Crowd
"I am Malay. You are Chinese. I am Malaysian. We are all Malaysians, right?" said the Deputy Prime Minister in Chinese.
A video of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi speaking Chinese at a ceramah has not only amused Malaysians at the scene, but also Malaysians nationwide online
The Barisan Nasional (BN) chairperson spoke the language while campaigning for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat election at Kulim, Kedah, on Monday, 5 December, reported MediaRakyat.
It was a Pakatan Harapan's (PH) ceramah, and Zahid spent about 15 minutes on stage canvassing for votes, stressing that the collaboration between BN and PH to form a unity government is essential for the progress of the country.
"I learned from my mistakes. BN and UMNO learned from our mistakes. We indeed had a lot of money during the 2018 election. But money is not everything, though everything needs money," Zahid said in Bahasa Melayu, before switching to Chinese.
"Wo mei you qian. Hen duo qian? Bu zhi dao, bu yao qian (I don't have money. A lot of money? I don't know, I don't want money)."
"I am Malay. You are Chinese. I am Malaysian. We are all Malaysians, right?" he continued in Chinese.
Some attendees at the ceramah applauded Zahid for his spirited speech when he suddenly switched to speaking in Chinese
"Zahid can speak Chinese after joining PH for just one week," a viral tweet said in jest.
It is worth noting that Zahid was raised by a Chinese foster father.
"I must tell Chinese journalists that I have a Chinese foster father. I sold ice-cream together with him way back when I was in Primary One to Primary Six … for six years," a 2015 report in Malay Mail quoted Zahid as saying.
"His children are like my own siblings. They are from the Hai Lam clan, and we had lunch and dinner together in their kitchen. Until now, I still maintain my relationship with them."
It is also reported that Zahid has a Chinese godmother named Cheah Seoh Liang, whom he visited during Chinese New Year in 2017, according to New Straits Times.
Zahid visiting his godmother for Chinese New Year at Taman Desa Bersatu in Perak on 28 January 2017.
Image via New Straits Times
Voters in Padang Serai are going to poll today, 7 December, as the election at the constituency was postponed following the passing of PH candidate M Karupaiya.
According to New Straits Times, BN candidate Datuk C Sivaraj pulled out from contesting in the parliamentary seat last week to make way for PH candidate Dr Mohamad Sofee Razak.
Watch Zahid speak Chinese in the video below beginning at the 5.37-minute mark:
Zahid was considered one of the instrumental figures in the formation of the unity government led by PH:
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