Media statement by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 20^th January 2012: 

Let Muhyiddin reveal his true colours, whether he is an extremist, a moderate or an extremist camouflaging as a moderate?

By inviting Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin to officiate the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has destroyed whatever credibility he might have salvaged by hosting the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates.

As a result, it is legitimately asked whether the so-called International Conference on Global Movement on Moderates is actually a camouflage by extremists to try to gloss over their “extremism”, whether directly and through aid, abet and condonation of voices of hate, unreason and all forms of extremism, whether ethnic or religious in recent times.

Najib had already raised grave questions about the bona fides in hosting the International Conference on Global Movement on Moderates when he refused to clean his own slate of “extremism” not only of the past, but even those committed in his 33 months as Prime Minister – as in refusing to retract his extremist speech at the 2010 UMNO General Assembly threatening “crushed bodies, lives lost” to defend UMNO from losing power in the 13th General Election or in allowing or condoning Utusan Malaysia, the official newspaper of UMNO, becoming the chief protagonist of the voices of extremism, whether unreason, hate, enmity, lies and incitement causing the worst polarisation of Malaysia in both racial and religious terms in the nation's history.

I had offered him several opportunities in the past fortnight to establish his credentials as a Voice of Moderation by declaring that he would immediately transform Utusan Malaysia into a Voice of Moderation – and it has not escaped national and international notice that he had avoided all engagement with this issue!

But public cynicism over Najib's hosting and opening the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderate is simply drowned out by the disbelief and shock at news of Muhyiddin closing the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates.

A Bernama report of the “Moderates” International Conference proceedings on Tuesday evening reported on the “positive response” of several delegates to Najib's announcement on the setting up of the Institute of Wasatiyyah (moderate) in his keynote opening address.

One panelist, who said the institute could become a centre for ideas to combat extremism as the concept of moderation should be the basic struggle of political parties and other movements, supported Najib's view that extremists should be identified and dealt with.

This led me to send out the following tweet on Tuesday night:

Identify top 10 Extremists in Msia! B4 308 political tsunami Hishamuddin Khairy head list. Under PM Najib list headed by UtusanM n Muhyiddin

Imagine the shock of Malaysians who would rank Muhyiddin top of the list of “extremists” in Malaysia during the 33-month premiership of Najib to discover that their candidate of the political leader to top the list of ten extremists in Malaysia could masquerade as a moderate at the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates!

Had Muhyiddin been unfairly wronged being regarded by substantial majority of Malaysians as a “top extremist” in Malaysia?

If Muhyiddin claims that he has been unfairly wronged in being regarded as most qualified among the top political leaders in the country to top the list of extremists, he has only himself to blame.

Didn't Muhyiddin declare opposition to Najib's signature policy of moderation - “1Malaysia” policy – by declaring that he is Malay first and Malaysian second?

Didn't Muhyiddin make the most extremist, worst and irresponsible speech ever delivered by a Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President at the recent UMNO General Assembly, telling dastardly lies and utterly false accusations when playing the 3R cards that DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers and delivering the “mother of all lies” when he accused the DAP of having an agenda to make Malaysia a republic?

Wasn't Muhyiddin responsible for the unjustified and extremist reaction to the moderate and reasoned appeal for a fair and even-handed intepretation of Article 153 made by the chairperson of National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) Reverend Eu Hong Seng at a Christmas hi-tea on Christmas Eve last month, warning against attempts to undermine the country's unity “which the BN government has painstakingly built”?

Let Muhyiddin reveal his true colours, whether he is an extremist, a moderate or an extremist camouflaging as a moderate?

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