Kuala Lampur, Aug. 19 -- Recently, it saddened me very much to see Lim Kit Siang being heckled at a dinner. It is utterly unfair to judge him in this form and manner.

I was with the late P. Patto during one official function at Parliament in 1990. One young Umno leader came up to me - I was P. Patto's political secretary then - and asked, "I am very curious to know, your party (DAP) is a party of the left and the NEP (New Economic Policy) is a policy of the left, why do you all in the DAP oppose it?"

He pondered a while and not wanting to be seen as rude, he continued in a low voice, "Doesn't all these opposing make you DAP leaders hypocritical?"

I looked at him and answered. "It is rare to find a young Umno leader ask a question in th...