DAP welcomes the assurances given by Minister of Home Affairs Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that the Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador will seriously investigate allegations of torture and forced confessions experienced by several of the accused in the LTTE case while being detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
DAP hopes that the police can also explain the US government’s report on terrorism in 2018 which observed that Malaysia’s continued role as a “source and transit point” for terrorist groups like the Islamic State (IS), Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), al-Qa’ida (al-Qaeda), and Jemaah Islamiyah(JI). The report noted Malaysia’s efforts in combating terrorism through legal prosecution, border patrol, and social media monitoring. Four terrorism-related incidents were listed but noted that there were no IS-affiliated attacks on Malaysian soil last year.
No mention was made by the US government report on terrorism activities by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam LTTE. Public concerns will only mount over the recent police action taken on those with alleged LTTE links, when the LTTE is now defunct and no longer in existence, as compared to active terrorist groups like IS, ASG, al-Qa’ida and JI.
DAP reiterates the government’s position on the comic book issue is to allow an appeal to be made against the ban by the Home Ministry and await judicial reviews by the courts on the decision of the Home Ministry. Tan Sri Muhyiddin had also stressed that the terrorism and communist conspiracy allegations spread by the opposition are lies and have nothing to do with the DAP.
Unfortunately these will be many lies and falsehoods spread by the opposition in the coming Tanjung Piai by-election. A new lie was spread by former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that I am playing games of threats not to pay the salaries of government civil servants who do not vote for PH. I had never said that. Clearly the opposition is seeking to win by lies and falsehoods.
Instead I had urged the voters to reject politics of racism and religious extremism by the opposition and focus on which political party can deliver better services, better policies and better benefits to the people. I pointed out that PH is superior to the opposition on fighting corruption and competent economic management.
BN is the father of global kleptocracy led by the 1MDB scandal. PAS not only supports BN but has also shown itself to be so incompetent in running the economy until they have to ask financial assistance of RM 191.5 million from the Federal government in 2018 and 2019 to help pay for the salaries of their civil servants. Despite the personal attacks and curses by PAS leaders, I have immediately approved such loans so as not to sacrifice the pay of the state government civil servants.
The lies that I had threatened not to pay the salaries of civil servants if PH is not voted in is not the only one. In contrast to earlier reports that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the puppet of DAP or me, the latest reporting in the press that instead it is DAP and me that is the puppet of the Prime Minister. The false press reports claim that as many as 9 important agencies and departments have been transferred out from the Finance Ministry into the Prime Minister’s Department. This is untrue.
Unfortunately, the press reports do not disclose that there are also agencies that are also newly transferred into the Finance Ministry such as Malaysian Health Tourism Council that oversees all private hospitals and the Economic Development Corridors. The only major difference is the transfer of Khazanah to the Prime Minister’s Department, especially when Khazanah has always been chaired by the Prime Minister even under BN.
Following the decision by PH that the position of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister must be separated to prevent abuse of power and ensure checks and balance, Tun Dr Mahathir had agreed and I was appointed as the Finance Minister, However Tun Dr Mahathir wanted to take charge and play a more pro-active role in Khazanah, because its role was established by him when he first became Prime Minister in 1982. Let us not fall into the trap of the BN-controlled mass media with their false narrative that we are puppets of Bersatu or puppets of DAP. If we are puppets we are only puppets of the people.
Let us unite together not only to defeat the lies of the opposition and their racist and religious extremism but also the dangers of the “deep state” as exposed by PH Secretary-General Datuk Seri Saifudin Abdullah. Following MCA’s open public co-operation with UMNO and PAS in the Tanjung Piai by-election, MCA has not answered why they can accept UMNO and PAS pronouncements that effectively extinguish the fundamental rights of non-Malays and non-Muslims under the Federal Constitution.
Worse any victory by MCA in the Tanjung Piai by-election may lead to endorsement of the racist and extremist religous philosophy of both PAS and UMNO, where :-
- Non-Malays or non-Muslims do not deserve to hold Ministerial positions in Cabinet;
- Vernacular schools teaching mother-tongue languages should be closed down;
- Non-Muslims especially Christians, cannot gather for their religious prayers;
- Boycotting non-Muslim products and businesses; and
- Labelling non-Muslim and non-Malays who oppose them as pigs, terrorists and communists.
Let us unite around Bangsa Malaysia and reject racism, religious extremism, lies and falsehoods that seeks to poison and jeopardize national unity and shared prosperity for all.