Media statement by Teresa Kok Suh Sim in Shah Alam on Tuesday, 19^th April 2011:

Liow Tiong Lai's dismissal of the watershed Sarawak state election results as "racial politics" by DAP is an insult to the wisdom of voters in rejecting the rampant corruption by Taib Mahmud, unchecked by BN, for the past 3 decades

So deeply entrenched is MCA Deputy President Liow Tiong Lai in Barisan Nasional's (BN) racial rhetoric that he aped Dr Mahathir in blaming the resounding defeat of SUPP leaders in the recent Sarawak state elections upon racial politics by DAP instead of recognising it as a rejection of unbridled corruption by Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, condoned by BN, for the past 3 decades.

Firstly, Liow's irresponsible statement is a desperate attempt to deflect blame from his and his fellow BN leaders' failure to retain the trust of Sarawak voters. It is BN who has been turning a blind eye to the obscene accumulation of wealth by Taib Mahmud through corrupt means while the people of Sarawak continued to live in abject poverty. It is BN who has been ignoring the suffering of the people of Sarawak who have had their native land stolen and plundered by Taib Mahmud-linked companies. It is BN who has so dismissively treated Sarawak voters as their "safety deposit" thinking they could do no wrong.

Thus, Sarawak voters rejected SUPP leaders to send a timely wake-up call to BN to stop sacrificing the interests of the people of Sarawak for their selfish political gain.

Secondly, Liow's accusation of DAP playing "racial politics" is utterly false and baseless. DAP is a multi-racial party which fielded not only Chinese candidates, but also an Iban candidate in the Sarawak state election. Our candidate selection criteria is not race but capability and integrity.

Furthermore, many of the seats won by DAP in the Sarawak state election could not have been won on Chinese votes alone, particularly Kidurong, Meradong, and Dudong. In Meradong for example, DAP received a simple majority of 51% of the Iban votes. In Batu Kawah, DAP received substantial votes from the Malay-Melanau community.

Thus, Liow's implication that Sarawak voters voted according to racial lines is not only false, it is also extremely insulting to the people of Sarawak. He should not sow seeds of suspicion among the races of Sarawak with untruths to score cheap political points.

Thirdly, it is laughable that Liow should accuse DAP of promoting racial polarisation while remaining blind to the fact that his own party MCA is accepts only Chinese members. MCA's party constitution states:

"9.0 Subject to Article 14 hereof no person may be accepted nor having been accepted may remain as a member unless:

9.1 he is a Malaysian citizen of Chinese descent"

I remind Liow that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Malaysians, and Sarawakians alike, have grown tired the racial politics propagated by BN as reflected by the March 2008 general election results. The issues of concern now are good and clean governance, rule of law and human rights, regardless of whether the person delivering the results is of Chinese descent or not. It¡¯s time MCA recognised this and grew up too.

Thus, I urge Liow Tiong Lai to lead MCA to abandon racial politics and instead, examine his conscience and study the failings of BN which led Sarawak voters to oust SUPP instead of maligning DAP with false accusations best directed at MCA itself.

* Teresa Kok Suh Sim, Selangor State Senior EXCO for Investment, Industry & Trade & MP for Seputeh