It is ironic but true – the generation of “false news” and “big lies” about the DAP by UMNO leaders and cybertroopers are not a reflection of confidence and hope, but the contrary, an index of their growing desperation about loss of credibility and public support because of rampant corruption, economic crisis and worsening racial and religious polarization – particularly among the Malays in the country.
Just before I came to this dialogue, I was reading about the latest UMNO cybertrooper attack on me – ridiculing the statement by the Deputy Amanah Youth Leader Faiz Fadzil “yang berkata DAP yang hanya bertanding di 51 daripada 222 kerusi Parlimen tidak mampu menerajui kepimpinan negara jika pembangkang menang dalam pilihan raya umum ke 14” by twisting what I said on 31st December that “I expect DAP to double the number of Parliamentary and State Assembly constituencies to be contested in the 14GE as compared to 13GE”.
Yes I did say about expecting the DAP to “double” the number of parliamentary and state assembly seats to be contested in the 14GE, but I was not talking about Malaysia as a whole but specifically about Sabah state, where DAP contested in four parliamentary and eight state assembly seats in the 13GE.
A person who is honest, sincere, pious and God-fearing would not have twisted what I said, for it was very clear that I was referring to doubling the seats contested in Sabah and not Malaysia-wide, unless the UMNP cybertrooper has a very low IQ – but this is the quality of UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers attacking the DAP who have to be liars to tell downright lies and falsehoods about DAP leaders which cannot stand scrutiny or challenge at all!
I have been in politics for 51 years.
I have never operated underground. The country’s Special Branch, which is one of the best of its kind in the world, having been trained by the British and which had the unique distinction of being the only intelligence apparatus in the world to have beaten the communists in a war for the “hearts and minds” of the people, knows that my political struggle is an open book as I had never engaged in any below-ground subterranean activities.
I do not think there is another political leader in Malaysia who had been so demonized in the past half a century, maligned and defamed as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers.
I have written and spoken almost daily in the past 51 years of my political struggle for an united, democratic and more just Malaysia, and every word is on public record.
Assuming an average of some 600 words a day – and it is not unusual for my speeches in Parliament in my first three decades in Parliament from the seventies to the nineties to range from 8,000 to 10,000 words in major debates, whether budget, the royal address or important bills – I would have spoken or written some 10 million words in my political life for the past 51 years.
The inability of UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers to find any proof from the more than 10 million words I had written or spoken in the past 51 years of my political struggle to substantiate their allegation that I am anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers is the most powerful proof of their politics of hate, falsehood and fake news!
It is overwhelming evidence to prove two things:
• Firstly, that they were indulging in utter lies and falsehood to demonise me as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers; and
• Secondly, that it is the UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers who are guilty of the most irresponsible and immoral gutter of politics of lies, hate and bigotry.
After the 2008 General Elections, where for the first time the UMNO/BN coalition lost two-thirds parliamentary majority, UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers concocted two new allegations against me which were never made in the previous four decades of my political activities from 1969 to 2008 – that I had caused the May 13 riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 as well as being a “communist”, and UMNO even sponsored a film based on these two allegations?
Why was the allegations that I had caused the May 13 riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 and a communist not made against me for 40 years from 1969 to 2008, but only after the “political tsunami” of 2008 General Election?
All sorts of allegations were hurled against the DAP after the 2008 “political tsunami” – including wanting make Malaysia a Christian state, when I am not a Christian myself and may be only 15% of DAP members are Christians!
The Amanah Federal Territory Chairman, Dr. Mohd Hatta, MP for Kuala Krai, reminded us just now that the concoction of false news and lies against the Opposition is not something new.
It had a long history, and he mentioned about the great lie a quarter of a century ago in 1990 when the Gerakan concocted the lie about the so-called DAP-PAS secret meeting in Jakarta, and although I was accused of leading DAP in such secrets talks, a check with my passport would show that I had not visited even Jakarta by 1990!
DAP is an open book and we have nothing to hide.
In my 51 years in politics, I had never nursed any anti-Malay or anti-Islam idea or thought for I always believe that Malaysia’s greatest strength is our diversity from the confluence of the various races, languages, cultures, religions and civilizations in Malaysia.
Malaysia has the ingredients and the potential to be among the best in the world, if Malaysians of diverse races, religions, language and cultures could co-operate and unite to compete with the rest of the world, instead of turning inwards to compete and quarrel internally with each other.
DAP leaders, like all leaders of political parties, have our failings and weaknesses, but I dare to ask which political party has produced a leader who has crossed the racial and religious divide and is prepared to sacrifice his or her personal liberty, going to jail and even lose the qualification as MP and the right to stand for elections to defend the honour of an underaged girl from another race and religion like Lim Guan Eng had done?
There is no such example from any UMNO or Barisan Nasional leader in the past 60 years!
Pribumi Bersatu National Vice President Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari told us just now that the greatest task facing Malaysians in the run-up to the 14th General Election is to save Malaysia from becoming a kleptocracy, a failed state and a rogue state.
In his 2016 New Year message more than a year ago on 31st December 2015, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told Malaysians that his RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation twin mega scandals had been resolved and were no more issues.
Najib could not be more wrong as the Malaysian government and people continue to be haunted and hounded by the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal.
Just type “1MDB” in the search engine of Malaysiakini, you will find some 110 news reports or articles related to the 1MDB scandal in the first 14 days of 2017.
Clearly, the 1MDB scandal will haunt and hound Malaysia, batter and assault the sense of self-worth and honour of Malaysians, to an even greater extent in 2017 than in 2016 or even 2015.
If the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Parliament are not prepared to save Malaysia from the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy – which I said in Parliament a a rule by 3Ps, Pencuri, Perompak and Penyamun – then only Malaysian voters regardless of race, religion or region can save Malaysia from a global kleptocracy in the 14th General Election.
This is one of the common partriotic objectives and challenges which bind Pakatan Harapan of DAP, PKR and Amanah plus Pribumi Bersatu – to cleanse and purge Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of a “global kleptocracy”, so that Malaysians can hold their heads high as proud Malaysians all over the world!
[Speech at a Pakatan Harapan Plus Pribumi Bersatu dialogue in Gombak together with Dr. Mohd Hatta (Amanah) and Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari (Pribumi Bersatu) on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 9 pm]