Media Statement
by DAP National Publicity Bureau Assistant Secretary, John Chung
in Petaling Jaya
on Thursday, 3rd October 2002

Koh Tsu Koon should apologise for his most outrageous, irresponsible and mindless allegation that DAP is to be blamed for Malaysia being listed as a terrorist-state


The statement by Penang Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon that DAP National Chairman, Lim Kit Siang should be blamed for the United States (US) Government's listing of Malaysia as a terrorist-risk state (New Straits Times today) is most outrageous, irresponsible and mindless.

Koh was reported as having said, "It is not our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who should be faulted. It is the DAP consorting with Pas, which wants to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State, ala Pas," he said.

How could any right-thinking person buy into such an argument, let alone make such a retarded claim?

Has Koh forgotten that it is precisely because of ideological differences over Pas' insistence of setting up an Islamic State that resulted in the DAP pulling out from the Alternative Front on Sep 22 last year, just before the Prime Minister declared Malaysia as an Islamic State a week later on Sep 29?

Koh should also take cognizance of the fact that the DAP had expressed its grave concern over the listing of Malaysia as one of fifteen terrorist-risk states by the US Government including the imposition of visa requirement by the Canadian authorities on Malaysians traveling to the country.

A DAP delegation led by Lim, DAP MPs and leaders had met with the US Embassy charge d'affaires, Robert A. Pollard last Friday to protest the inclusion of Malaysia in the US list of terrorist-risk countries.

This is not the first time Koh had made such an allegation totally devoid of logic against the DAP, as he had previously also tried to make DAP the scapegoat for Mahathir's 9/29 Islamic State declaration.

If Koh has any semblance of integrity and credibility left in him, he should issue a formal apology to the DAP, and to Lim particularly, over his utterly senseless and groundless remarks. We cannot afford to have politicians going around spreading political lies and distorting the truth for their own selfish gains.