KUALA LUMPUR: Two elderly men from the audience caused a stir at the Malaysian Chinese at the Political Crossroads forum as emotions ran high, with one of them storming out mid-way through the second session.

One was angry because he was jeered when he asked his question and the other man was unhappy that he was told he could not ask a question as time was pressing.

Goh Kim Seng had asked the panelists whether MCA, by virtue of being a Barisan Nasional component party, had a hand in approving the now defunct provision in the 1961 Education Act.

That provision, which was removed in 1996, had empowered the minister to convert vernacular schools into national ones.

He was promptly jeered by several other audience members.

Angrily shouting “I'm 71 years old!” repeatedly, Goh insisted on leaving the forum hall.

“I'm very unhappy. They have no respect for me as their elder. They don't let me ask my question and asked me to go out,” he told reporters outside the hall, referring to several MCA delegates.

Goh, who comes from Perak, said the forum, which was organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) and MCA think-tank Insap, should be a space for everyone to discuss and talk about issues.

“I will go back into the hall even if they don't want to let me back in,” he declared.

Meanwhile, another elderly audience member from Sabah also lost his cool during the first session moderated by Asli chief executive officer Datuk Dr Michael Yeoh, who said he could only accept two questions from the floor as time was pressing.

Hong Min Jie, 73, expressed dissatisfaction and anger that he was not given the chance to pose a question to the panelists.

Hong said he had flown in from Sabah the morning of the forum to “fight for his next generation”.

It was learned that he allegedly had not registered for the forum but had insisted that organisers give him a pass to enter.

He also allegedly insisted that he must be seated at the front of the hall as “I am a senior citizen”.

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