Media Conference Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 4^th November 2010 at 4 pm: 

Lim Kit Siang rejects Berita Harian’s “correction” which implies -- without producing proof -- that Ali Rustam was right in accusing a DAP national leader of having called UMNO Malays kafirs

Berita Harian today carried an inconspicuous one-paragraph correction that reads:

“Ralat – Ucapan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan UMNO Melaka, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam dalam ceramahnya, DAP semakin berani mencampuri urusan agama Islam di peti Kampung Baru Hulu, Gua Musang, seperti disiarkan Berita Harian semalam, bukan merujuk kepada Penasihat DAP, Lim Kit Siang. Kesilapan dikesali. – Pengarang”.

Berita Harian’s “correction” does not amount to an apology but has added insult to injury, compounding the offence committed and the falsehoods perpetrated by the Berita Harian report on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010, under the headline “Tindakan Kit Siang tuduh UMNO kafir melampau”, viz:

Tindakan Kit Siang tuduh UMNO kafir melampau
2010/11/02
Berita Harian

GUA MUSANG: DAP semakin berani mencampuri urusan agama Islam dengan menuduh orang UMNO kafir dalam siri ceramah untuk menarik sokongan pengundi Melayu menyokong PAS pada pilihan raya kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Galas.

Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan UMNO Melaka, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, berkata tindakan itu adalah hasil ajaran pemimpin PAS yang menjual agama dan tidak menghalang apabila bukan Islam menuduh orang Melayu tidak menyokong PAS sebagai kafir.

Katanya, kenyataan Penasihat DAP, Lim Kit Siang itu dibuat di hadapan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat dan Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pada ceramah di Rancangan Pemulihan Tanah (RPT) KESEDAR Sungai Terah.

“Yang kita sedihnya apabila Lim menuduh orang Melayu parti UMNO kafir disambut dengan laungan takbir ‘Allahuakhbar’ oleh pemimpin PAS bersama penyokongnya yang dianggap menjual agama Islam kepada kaum lain.”

“Inikah parti yang melaungkan perjuangan Islam yang patut kita sokong dan sudah jauh terpesong akidah sebenarnya,” katanya ketika berceramah kepada pengundi di peti undi Kampung Baru Hulu, dekat sini, petang kelmarin.

Mohd Ali yang juga Ketua Menteri Melaka, berkata mungkin pengundi di DUN Galas baru sedar tindakan Kit Siang yang mengutuk orang beragama Islam tetapi pada masa sama ia halal di sisi perjuangan PAS demi kepentingan politik pembangkang.

Beliau berkata, gelagat pemimpin DAP mencampuri urusan agama Islam sejak bergabung dalam pakatan pembangkang kerana mendapat restu PAS untuk mengutuk orang Islam yang tidak sokong parti itu.

Katanya, pengundi di DUN Galas patut mengambil ingatan dengan sikap melampau DAP itu yang menuduh orang UMNO kafir dan perbuatan itu pula seolah-olah direstui PAS.

This Berita Harian report was a double lie, as I never made the allegation calling UMNO Malays “kafir” for not supporting PAS in the Galas by-election and I never attended the PAS ceramah at Kesedar Sungai Terah as alleged by Ali Rustam.

Yesterday, when Perak DAP Pasir Pinji state assemblyman Thomas Su, Negri Sembilan DAP Assemblyman for Bahau Teo Kok Seong and Perak DAP Jalong Assemblywoman Leong Mee Meng lodged three police reports against Ali Rustam and Berita Harian for the defamatory and seditious falsehoods in the Berita Harian report as well as against the Putrajaya UMNO Youth leader Mohd Hishamudin Yahaya for lodging a false police report and disseminating false news against me, they were told by Gua Musang police that Berita Harian would apologise to me and that Tuesday’s Berita Harian report was the result of “silap tulis”.

I cannot figure out how “silap tulis” can be used as an defence, excuse or justification for such a malicious, irresponsible, defamatory and seditious report, seeking to incite racial and religious hatred in a multi-racial and multi-religious society and totally against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept.

Be that as it may, Berita Harian has not made made any apology and has added insult to injury by by implying -- without producing any proof -- that Ali Rustam was right in accusing a DAP national leader of having called UMNO Malays as “kafir”s.

I have therefore asked Karpal Singh, acting as my lawyer, to proceed with all dispatch against Berita Harian and Ali Rustam in legal proceedings. I also call on the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar to ensure that the police does not cover up this matter in closing all investigations but to uphold the law by instituting criminal defamation and other charges against Berita Harian and Ali Rustam.

On the part of the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, he should immediately suspend Ali Rustam as Malacca Chief Minister as he has shown himself unfit, unqualified and unworthy of being the head of a state government in so irresponsibly disseminating racial and religious illwill and hatred based on a pack of lies – which makes an utter mockery of his 1Malaysia policy.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh Timor