DAP wants all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region to unite to provide the country with the political stability which are two prerequisites necessary before Malaysia can rise again to become a great world-class nation.
I was accused of being anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, cause of May 13, 1969 riots and a communist, but these wild and preposterous allegations were not made in the first 35 years of my political work, but in the last 20 years in the 21st century? Why is this so?
The reason was quite simple.
DAP and I were not seen as a threat to the Malay political parties with DAP competing for political support of the Malays in the semi-urban and rural constituencies in the 20th century from 1965 to 2,000.
In the last 20 years of my political life in the 21st century, the Malay parties began to see the DAP as a threat to their Malay political base as there had been a sea change in political attitudes and thinking, and more and more Malays subscribe to the DAP ideology that Malaysia is for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, provided they are Malaysians first.
We made a breakthrough in 1990 with Ahmad Nor elected as MP for Bayan Baru in 1990 although right from the 1969 General Election, we have had Malay Assemblymen at the State level.
In the 2013 General Election there were two DAP Malay MPs — Zairil Khir Johari of Bukit Bendera and Mohd Ariff Sabri bin Abdul Aziz of Raub. There was one Malay DAP Malay MP — Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji for Raub — in the 2018 General Election who became a Deputy Minister. In the 15th General Election in 2022, there were three DAP Malay MPs — Syahredzan bin Johan (Bangi), Young Syefura Othman (Bentong), and Syerleena Abdul Rashid (Bukit Bendera).
In the last 20 years, DAP is seen as a threat competing with Malay political parties for Malay support, and the demonisation of DAP and I as anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, cause of May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur and communist was a defence mechanism by the Malay parties to prevent the DAP from getting more Malay support.
I was accused of being anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, cause of the May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur and a communist but there was not one iota of substantiation from my 58 years of political life.
How can I be anti-Malay, when my son, Lim Guan Eng, went to jail in Kajang Prison and lost his qualification to be MP for five years although he was MP for Kota Melaka, in the defence of the dignity of an underaged Malay girl?
How can I be anti-Islam when I declared in Parliament many times in my 11 terms as Member of Parliament covering 44 years my acceptance of Islam as the official religion in Malaysia, although Article 3 of the Malaysian Constitution made no reference no “official religion”, and which provides for freedom of worship for the other religions?
I am not against state honours and awards, but my stand has been that a politician while in active leadership position should not accept state honours or awards. When the Yang di Pertuan wanted to confer the Tan Sri-ship after my retirement from active leadership politics, I have no hesitation in accepting the award.
As for the lie that I was the cause of the May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur, I was never in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969 as I was in Kota Kinabalu on May 13, 1969 to help Independent candidates in Sabah in the 1969 General Elections as the polling in Sabah and Sarawak would held later than in Peninsular Malaysia.
As for the allegation that I am a communist, it has now been forgotten that the communists wanted me to lose in the Bandar Melaka parliamentary constituency in 1969 as they had launched a boycott campaign of the 1969 general elections,. I must also thank the longest-serving Inspector-General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar, who got a 1969 police document declassified when I sued him for defefamation – the police interrogation of me when I was detained in the Kuala Selangor Police station lock-up where I was detained in the first 60 days of my Internal Security Act detention where I said that communism was unsuitable and not appropriate for a plural society like Malaysia.
The issue is that in the age of social media, it is easy for lies, falsehoods, fake news and hate speech to spread like wildfire, but the question is why should political leaders like the PAS President, Hadi Awang, set a bad example to spread these lies, falsehoods, fake news and hate speech.
I am still waiting for Hadi to substantiate his allegation that I was anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, cause of May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur and communist from my 58 years of political work.
I have given Hadi not months but years to substantiate his wild and preposterous allegations, but so far Hadi has been unable to do so.
Is Hadi therefore to be trusted?