Media statement by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 21^st February 2012: 

Najib has completely demolished MCA lie that “A vote for DAP is a vote for PAS”

I am still intrigued what were the considerations behind the decision of the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Sunday to be a Chua Soi Lek clone, adopting the MCA President’s sophistry to warn Malays that “A vote for PAS is a vote for DAP” implying most falsely, irresponsibly and mischievously that DAP has an anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers agenda.

Is it beyond the political comprehension of Najib and his political strategists that the first consequence of Najib adopting the Chua Soi Lek sophistry is to completely demolish the MCA’s No. 1 political weapon against the DAP – falsely warning the Chinese voters that “A vote for DAP is a vote for PAS” resulting in an Islamic state and hudud Islamic laws?

Najib and his political strategists have seriously underrated the intelligence of the Malaysian electorate in assuming that they could not see through the insanity, illogicality and idiocy of a Barisan Nasional political campaign with MCA on the one hand warning Chinese voters that “A vote for DAP is a vote for PAS” on the ground that DAP will be a stooge of PAS while UMNO warns Malay voters that “A vote for PAS is a vote for DAP” as PAS will be puppet of DAP!

Najib and his political strategists have clearly a very low opinion of Malaysian voters assuming that they could get away with such political chicanery and mendacity of the first magnitude, and could believe that “DAP is stooge of PAS” and “PAS is puppet of DAP” one and the same time if the Najib and Chua falsehoods are to be believed.

I am utterly shocked that Najib and his political strategists cannot understand a simple truth – that these two canards, one warning Chinese voters that “A vote for DAP is a vote for PAS” and the other warning Malay voters that “A vote for PAS is a vote for DAP” trying to arouse the politics of fear among the Chines and Malay voters are diametrically conflicting which mutually destroys and cancels each other like MAD (mutually assured destruction) weapons.

The Barisan Nasional’s politics of fear might work if such lies and falsehoods are used only against one community, whether to frighten the Chinese that “A vote for DAP is a vote for PAS” or to scare the Malays that “A vote for PAS is a vote for DAP” but not when both MCA and UMNO try to create fear among the Chinese and Malay communities with diametrically conflicting messages which cancels each other out.

Najib and Chua will be reduced to political jokers if not idiots if they continue these spout two conflicting canards against the Malay and Chinese voters at the same time.

Is Najib going to ban Chua and MCA from trying to scare the Chinese voters with the line “A vote for DAP is a vote for PAS” so that UMNO could sound more credible with its warning to Malay voters that “A vote for PAS is a vote for DAP”?

This is a great difference between the Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional.

Barisan Nasional is the by-word for hypocrisy and dishonesty, with not only different but diametrically conflicting messages for different communities.

Although Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, PAS and DAP have our political differences, we believe in clean and honest politicking, and we have only one common national message to all Malaysians to save Malaysia from the abuses, corruption, injustices and decadence of Barisan Nasional rule!

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