Press Statement by DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 18th January 2008:

Just as Najib denies knowing murdered Mongolian model Altatunya because there is no photo of both of them together, can Najib show proof that there is formal co-operation between DAP and PAS?

DAP is sad at the dishonest and desperate tactics employed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in trying to link PAS and DAP as working together for the coming general elections. DAP has no links with PAS following the withdrawal of DAP from Barisan Alternatif in 2001 and has no plans of any form of co-operation unless PAS drops its Islamic state ideology. At the moment, there is only electoral co-operation between DAP and PKR but there are no plans of a common manifesto.

Just as Najib denies knowing murdered Mongolian model Altatunya because there is no photo of both of them together, can Najib show proof that there is formal co-operation between DAP and PAS? It is illogical for Najib to claim that DAP is working with PAS with PKR working as go-between just because DAP co-operates with PKR and PKR also co-operates with PAS.

Using Najib’s logic, then Najib should also know Altatunya because Razak knows Abdul Razak Baginda, who is accused of murdering Abdul’s former lover Altatunya. As Abdul Razak is the close aide of Najib and Abdul Razak also knows Altatunya, does that makes Najib knows and close to Altatunya too?

Najib should win the coming general elections on its own record and performance governing Malaysia for the last four years instead of trying to distract attention with wild and baseless allegations of formal co-operation between DAP and PAS. Are such electoral tactics an attempt to distract attention away from BN’s poor report card which have left many Malaysians asking our Prime Minister, “What have you done for the last 4 years?”. If Najib is so proud of BN’s formula of power, Najib should answer whether a vote for MCA, Gerakan, MIC or SUPP equals to a vote for UMNO and BN.

This follows MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting’s apparent denial that a vote for MCA equals a vote for UMNO. Clearly Ong is worried at being punished by voters for being allies and agents of UMNO. There is general unhappiness, especially amongst non-Malays, that UMNO’s dominance has resulted in divisive and discriminatory policies that has only engendered corruption, injustice, higher crime rates and a greater income disparity between the rich and poor in Malaysia.

Would Najib agree or disagree with Ong that a vote for MCA does not equal to a vote for UMNO when both parties are coalition partners in BN?

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* Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General