Media statement by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 7^th August 2012: 

Najib’s 1Malaysia policy in past three years has borne bitter and even poisonous fruits worsening racial polarization

It has been said that a tree is known by its fruit and a man by his deeds.

With the approaching 55th National Day/49th Malaysia Day celebrations, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should ponder why his 1Malaysia policy in the past three years, instead of creating a more united Malaysian nation, has borne bitter and even poisonous fruits worsening racial polarization and producing more heinous lies like the many May 13 falsehoods purveyed recently to undermine national unity.

None other than former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has said only in June that the next general election will centre on race as “Malaysia has become more racial than ever”!

As part of his 1Malaysia programme, Najib has raised an army of some 10,000 Umno/BN cybertroopers through a nation-wide series of 1Malaysia Social Media Conventions, not to spread the 1Malaysia message to be a Malaysian first and race, religion, region and socio-economic grouping second but to put into practice the Biro Tatanegara (BTN) and Utusan Malaysia credo to “spin” lies and even blatant lies as fact and truth.

We are beginning to see the dire results of the raising of Najib’s army of 10,000 Umno/BN cybertroopers – including the bitter and poisonous fruits inciting racial distrust and undermining national unity revolving around the government-funded film “Tanda Putra” on the May 13 riots in 1969, with these cybertroopers disseminating the wildest, baseless, reckless, irresponsible, despicable and defamatory allegations that I had provoked the May 13 riots in 1969 in the street processions, that I had killed Malays and even urinated at the flagpole of the Selangor Mentri Besar’s residence when I was never in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969.

Other wild, baseless and most irresponsible allegations which had been “spun” by the 1Malaysia Social Media included allegations that DAP Secretary-General and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had also provoked the May 13 riots in his capacity as DAP Youth leader when he was in fact only eight years old.

The late P. Patto, former DAP Deputy Secretary-General and Parliamentarian, was also blamed for provoking the May 13 riots in 1969 when Patto was never in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 as he only first embarked on his political career in 1973 when he gave up his secure job as a government school teacher and accepted my offer to become my political secretary.

With the obstinate Cabinet refusal to have a new 55th National Day/49th Malaysia Day theme, logo and theme song which can be inclusive and unite rather than divide Malaysians - which is the position today when the National Day/Malaysia Day theme is hijacked by UMNO/BN - Malaysians are entitled to ask the Prime Minister why he is allowing his 1Malaysia policy to bear the bitter and even poisonous fruits worsening racial polarization and undermining national unity!

Forty-three years after the May 13 tragedy in 1969, the time has come to bring it to a closure – not to use the May 13 riots to scare or intimidate any community but as a object lesson on the paramount importance for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, class, age or gender to unite as Malaysians for a common cause for change and betterment for all Malaysians, whether we are BN or PR.

I have stated publicly that DAP and Pakatan Rakyat are prepared to co-operate and work closely with UMNO and Barisan Nasional to ensure that there will be no repeat of May 13 in the next general election.

In fact, how could therer be a repeat of the May 13 tragedy if both political coalitions - Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat - sincerely pledge to work together in the national interest to prevent any such recurrence?

The Pakatan Rakyat comprising PKR, PAS and DAP are committed to this cause and objective to ensure that there cannot and will not be another May 13 tragedy in Malaysia. Are UMNO and the Barisan Nasional similarly committed to this common cause?

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