By Lim Kit Siang, MP for Gelang Patah
The Gerakan President and Barisan Nasional candidate for Teluk Intan by-election, Datuk Mah Siew Keong, hit the nail on the head yesterday when he described the Teluk Intan by-election as the dirtiest in Teluk Intan.
He is right except that it is UMNO/BN “hired guns” who are responsible for making the Teluk Intan by-election the dirtiest in history.
In fact, Mah must accept responsibility for this deplorable state of affairs as all the dirt of lies, falsehoods, personal attacks and character assassination especially on the DAP/PR candidate Dyana Sofya emanate from the UMNO/BN quarter, and it is just not acceptable for Mah to disclaim responsibility or pretend ignorance about such a major political and electoral scam.
When asked by reporters, Mah has struck a pose of ignorance and innocence, claiming ignorance of the various election promises made by UMNO Ministers and Deputy Ministers (which are violations of the election laws) or the massive vote-buying whether through money or the free distribution of hampers.
But how long can Mah keep this stance of ignorance when he should bear responsibility for the entire UMNO/BN by-election campaign as the candidate, instead of pretending innocence on the ground that he did not hear or was not present when UMNO Ministers and Deputy Ministers violate the election laws making promises to induce voters to vote for him tomorrow.
How long is Mah going to play the role of the three traditional monkeys of eyes that see not, ears that hear not and mouths that speak not?
The last 24 hours of the Teluk Intan by-election campaign will see the Umno/BN “hired guns” pulling out all the stops to launch the dirtiest 24 hours of a by-election – a blitzkrieg of lies and falsehoods, personal attacks and character-assassination against Dyana, DAP and PR.
This morning, bundles of anonymous leaflets in different languages to attack Dyana and DAP have been strewn in different areas of the constituency, all without identification of who is the printer or publisher.
One such material, under the name of “Anson Bay” made the wildest and most preposterous of allegations against the DAP, accusing the DAP of having a “secret agenda” if given power which includes the following:
- Mengatur strategi untuk mengusir keluar orang-orang Melayu Pulau Pinang secara berperingkat di bawah Strategi Induk Tony Pua.
- Menjelang 2020 Agama Persekutuan Malaysia adalah Kristian kerana kini 90% kepimpinan DAP adalah beragama Kristian.
- Mengkristiankan orang-orang Melayu Sarawak sekurang-kurangnya 2 orang setiap minggu.
- Matapelajaran Pendidikan Islam di sekolah-sekolah dihapuskan.
- Hanya boleh diajar di surau dan masjid sahaja.
- Perkahwinan campur antara agama digalakkan dan diberi saguhati sebanyak RM5000.
- Malaysia akan dijadikan sebuah “Negara bergelar REPUBLIC OF MALAYSIA”.
- Bahasa Ingeris adalah bahasa utama negara dan Bahasa Mandarin sebagai bahasa kedua.
- Laungan azan dilarang kerana mengganggu ketenteraman masyarakat yang lain.
- Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) dimansuhkan. Sistem Raja berperlembagaan dihapuskan dan digantikan dengan Sistem Presiden.
These are all downright lies which are against public positions which have been taken by the DAP for more than four decades.
These puveyors of lies and falsehoods have no respect for the truth, but what is the position of Mah on them as he cannot be ignorant about such a campaign of lies and falsehoods against Dyana and DAP in the Teluk Intan by-election?
I have received reports that even greater lies and falsehoods, personal attacks and character-assassination are being concocted against Dyana and the DAP in the next few hours.
False sms and emails are being disseminated to confuse the people of Teluk Intan.
I call on the voters of Teluk Intan not to believe the terrible lies and falsehoods spread in the last 24 hours of the by-election campaign and to act cool, calm and collected to vote to create history not only in Teluk Intan but also in Malaysia to herald the advent of a new political order in Malaysian history.
