Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 10^th May 2011: 

Utusan Malaysia's dangerous lies is a desperate attempt by UMNO to distract attention from economic mismanagement and policy failures  

The BN government's announcement today that the price of sugar will be increased by 20 sen to RM2.30 a kg has exposed the real malicious motive for UMNO-owned Utusan Malaysia's dangerous lies of a so-called conspiracy by DAP and Christian pastors to set up a Christian state and a Christian Malaysian Prime Minister. Such lies could be printed on the front-page of Utusan Malaysia even though no Malaysian Christian had ever sought to be Malaysian Prime Minister.

Utusan's lies were designed as a desperate attempt by UMNO to distract attention from economic mismanagement and policy failures that has caused the prices of petrol and sugar to rise. Ordinary Malaysians are heavily burdened by the rise in cost of living which has made the poor's livelihood more difficult. Oddly the price rises would invariably come after a big victory by BN whether in by-elections or state elections.

Utusan's malicious reports would have been ridiculous if not for the fact that Utusan and UMNO leaders were so intent on fanning fear and hatred against Christianity. So many police reports were lodged by UMNO leaders and UMNO support groups asking for stern action against both DAP and Christian pastors. Unsurprisingly no UMNO leader called for stern action against Utusan for spreading such lies.

The increase in sugar prices by 20 cents represents a 10% rise from the old price of RM2.10 per kg. This follows a previous increase in December last year, which saw the price being raised by a similar amount.

The increase is part of the government's concerted subsidy cuts first announced on July 16 last year, when prices went up by five sen per litre for petrol and diesel, 10 sen per kg for LPG and 20 sen per kg for sugar. It also comes after the price of RON97 petrol was increased by 20 sen last week.

BN claims that despite the latest price increase in sugar, the government would save only RM116.6 million for development projects and still have to fork out RM283.4 million in subsidising sugar yearly. DAP rejects such arguments as not proven to be beneficial to the people.

First the RM116.6 million saved will unlikely be used for development projects beneficial to the people so long as there are no open tenders. Corruption is rampant with no open tenders for the proposed new RM 53 billion MRT project and refusal to investigate into the RM52 billion missing bumi/Malay shares scandal.

Last week, the United Nations released a survey projecting a moderate slide in economic growth for Malaysia this year due to lack of political will in carrying out real reforms, rising food and fuel prices. Further why be concerned about a mere savings of RM116.6 million when the BN government can save RM19 billion by ending gas subsidies to independent power producers(IPPs).

Intead of trying to save a miserable RM116.6 million, the BN government can save 163 times more by as much as RM19 billion through ending gas subsidies for IPPs. In the 2009 financial year, Petronas' gas subsidy bill reached RM19 billion, while in the first half the 2010 financial year, the amount stood at RM10.2 billion. Cumulative subsidies borne by Petronas up till November 2010 since the gas price was fixed to the power sector in 1997 and the non-power sector in 2002 amounted to RM126.6 billion.

Utusan has therefore taken the easy way out from explaining the price rises with this dangerous lie against an easy target to bully. By failing to punish and stop the UMNO-owned Utusan Malaysia from continuing this campaign of lies that Islam is under threat, the BN government is making Christians an object of hate and inciting Muslims against the minority Christian community.

Such double-standards by BN leaders lend suspicion that Utusan enjoys full immunity as an UMNO-owned paper to spread dangerous lies and is allowed to conduct its campaign of hate against minority peaceful Christians, who are helpless to defend themselves.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan