DAP Leader Lim Kit Siang, who turned 81 yesterday, said he and DAP have faced many accusations and slander during his long career. — Picture by Choo Choy May
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — DAP Leader Lim Kit Siang said his birthday wish is for Johor voters to be able to discern truth from lies come the state election on March 12.
The Iskandar Puteri MP, who turned 81 yesterday, said he and DAP have faced many accusations and slander during his long career.
“My first wish is for the people of Johore, representing Malaysians, to tell the world on March 12 that Malaysians are capable of differentiating between what is right and wrong, what is corruption and abuses of power and what is not.
“The DAP and I have been accused of many fake and false things. The latest false accusation is that Muda is the creation of DAP aimed at baiting Malay youths. DAP has also been accused of setting up Amanah,” he said.
He likened the claims to those of former Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak who had told the 2015 Umno General Assembly that the DAP was anti-Malay and anti-Islam.
‘In my 55 years in Malaysian politics, I have been demonised from one end of the spectrum to the other end.
“Although I was born, bred and schooled in Batu Pahat, there were allegations that I came from China when I was eighteen years old and there were also allegations that I was related to Chin Peng and Lee Kuan Yew, although they never explained how this could be so as Chin Peng is a Hockchia, Kuan Yew a Hakka and I am Hokkien,” said Lim.
He said he was expecting more claims to emerge ahead of the Johor election, including that he instructed PAS president Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang to support Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional over Umno despite the Muafakat Nasional charter.
“No one can be a Malaysian leader if he or she is anti any race and religion in Malaysia, for he or she must be committed to Malaysia as a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia.
“My second 81st birthday wish is that Malaysia is capable of rising from the disappointments of our high hopes in the 14th General Election,” he said.