Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in DAP Headquarters, Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 22^nd August 2010: 

Utusan Malaysia should withdraw and apologise for cheating Malaysians with their false reports on a big civil war in Malaysia bigger than the 1969 May 13 racial riots 

Utusan Malaysia should withdraw and apologise for cheating Malaysians with their false reports of a big civil war in Malaysia bigger than the 1969 May 13 racial riots. This threat of a bigger war that May 13 was in a special column by Penolong Ketua Pengarang I of Kumpulan Utusan Malaysia, Datuk Zaini Hassan , entitled ¡°Benar 'perang besar' boleh berlaku di Malaysia".

No proof had been offered of who was pushing for a new constitution or what were its contents. Utusan only referred to Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria's claim that three copies of the "new" Federal Constitution were given to him during a ceramah in Alor Setar.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in the Star on 20.8.2010 rubbished the claims of a new Constitution to replace the present Federal Constitution. Harussani had claimed that the new constitution would expunge the special rights of the Malays and the position of Islam as the official religion of the country.

Describing Harussani's claim as "coffee-shop talk", Nazri said it was a waste of time for the police to investigate the matter. DAP fully supports Nazri¡¯s description of the new constitution as "coffee-shop talk". Clearly, as said by the Minister, there is no new constitution.

Utusan should be ashamed for publishing provocative reports pitting non-Malays against Malays and threatening a big war worse than May 13 racial riots that turned out to be false. Since a Minister had declared that Utusan Malaysia was publishing "coffee-shop" talk that was baseless and false, Utusan should withdraw these reports and apologise for misleading and cheating the public.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & Penang Chief Minister