“You sad tiny man”: Lee Lin Chin slams Tony Abbott for Bob Hawke tribute
With former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke passing away, he’s being remembered as one of the nation’s greatest leaders.
Many tributes have flown in, remembering the man and his contributions to the nation. However, when former Prime Minister Tony Abbott made a tribute as well, his stood out for all the wrong reasons.
"Bob Hawke was a great prime minister," Mr Abbott wrote of the 89-year-old in an official statement.
"In my judgement, he was Labor's greatest prime minister.
"But his key achievements, financial deregulation, tariff cuts and the beginnings of privatisation, went against the Labor grain, as Labor's more recent policy direction shows.
"You might almost say he had a Labor heart, but a Liberal head.”
Many have accused Abbott of using the tribute as a last-ditch effort to gain votes for the electorate of Warringah.
Many Australian politicians, celebrities as well as annoyed citizens lashed out at the former Liberal Prime Minister online. This included Lee Lin Chin.
You want to make Bob Hawkes death about politics @TonyAbbottMHR? Okay, let's do it. He was a better Prime Minister than you ever were, but to be fair so was every other one including Scott Morrison you sad tiny man.#RIPHawkey
— Lee Lin Chin (@LeeLinChin) 16 May 2019
Chin was scathing in her criticism, saying:
“You want to make Bob Hawkes death about politics Tony Abbott? Okay, let’s do it. He was a better Prime Minister than you ever were, but to be fair so was every other one including Scott Morrison you sad tiny man.”
Others were quick to condemn the statement.
“You lack grace. In fact, you are complete trash,” Labor MP Nick Staikos wrote.
“You’re trying to score political points from the death of one of Australia’s greatest public figures within hours of his passing?” journalist Paul Syrvet said on Twitter.
Australian comedian Tom Gleeson succinctly said:
“This tribute to one of Australia’s most loved PMs by Tony Abbott, reminds you why he is one of the most loathed.”
Australian Financial Review’s Joe Aston said that Abbott’s comments were “actually disgusting”, according to Yahoo! News.
“[Tony Abbott] uses Bob Hawke's death to make a political point. Apologies to the late Ann Shorten, but this surely sets a new campaign low,” the journalist said.
The backlash was too much for Abbott, who appeared to make a more heartfelt tribute later, but for many, the damage had been done.
“Too late,” dozens of comments read.