The past three days have been the most difficult days for DAP leaders, members and supporters in the 47-year history of the party, testified by the fact that the DAP had dominated the front-pages of the Barisan Nasional mainstream media (MSM) in the past two days and hogged the Barisan Nasional-controlled air waves.
The following are the screaming front-page headlines in the BN MSM in the past two days:
DAP silap kira undi? – Pengarah pilihan raya parti itu letak jawatan (Utusan Malaysia 5.1.13)
Drama DAP – Lagi persoal isu silap kira undi (Mingguan Malaysia 5.1.13)
DAP election FIASCO – Error raises doubts about party’s ability to rule country (New Straits Times 5.1.13)
‘Embarrassing glitch’ – (New Sunday Times 6.1.13)
Sandiwara DAP pujuk Melayu – Ambil masa tiga minggua akui kesilapan pemilihan CEC (Berita Harian 5.1.13)
Tindakan DAP ‘luar biasa’ – Pinda keputusan pemilihan janggal, timbul banyak persoalan: Muhyiddin (Berita Harian t6.1.13)
It doesn’t add up (Star 5.1.13)
When DAP appears in the BN MSM, especially on their front-pages, it is not good news. In fact, often they are about lies – as in the infamous case on May 7, 2011 when Utusan Malaysia carried a front-page article headlined “Kristian agama rasmi?” (“Christianity the official religion?”), claiming that DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to instal Christianity as the religion of the federation instead of Islam and the other infamous case on July 9, 2012 on the Utusan Malaysia front-page about the falsehood that the DAP would contest 90 of the 222 parliamentary seats to dominate Pakatan Rakyat and appoint the Prime Minister in the 13th general election.
There can be no doubt that if carpet trader, Deepak Jaikishan had made only 10% of allegations against DAP/PR leaders that he had actually made against the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the UMNO/Barisan Nasional leadership, Deepak would be crawling all over BN MSM in past six weeks instead of the total blackout as has actually happened.
Why have Malaysian journalism and politics descended to such a pass 55 years after Merdeka in 1957?
Although the past three days have been the most difficult days for the DAP in party history, no DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) leader regretted doing what is right – to be humble and uphold honesty and transparency by publicly admitting our blunder in the DAP CEC election results, for honesty however hard and harsh for the immediate moment must triumph in the long run.
DAP leaders, members and supporters can continue to hold their heads high unlike others who continue to wallow in lies and falsehoods and run away from honesty, accountability and transparency.
There is more than a grain of truth in the observation of an experienced political analyst relayed by DAP life advisor Dr. Chen Man Hin that the “strong criticisms from Barisan is a frantic response by an enemy that knows that their days are numbered. They have lost the political battle, and are now grasping straws to survive.”