My electoral battles in Bukit Bendera and Kebun Bunga have  now become even more uphill in the past 24 hours  with  the promise of a Deputy Ministership to Chia Kwang Thye and the discovery of over 279 phantom voters in eight  addresses  in the constituency

Media Conference Statement
by Lim Kit Siang 

(Penang,  Wednesday): I had said that on nomination day, I estimated my chances in Bukit Bendera parliamentary constituency as 48% to 52% while my chances in Kebun Bunga state assembly constituency as 45% to 55%.  In the first two days of the snap eight-day election campaign, my chances fell by eight to ten per cent as a result of the two-day Barisan Nasional blitzkrieg of inflammatory and incendiary "fear and scare" political advertisements in the printed and electronic mass media.

These are calculated political risks I am prepared to take when I left Tanjong for the high-risk battles in Bukit Bendera and Kebun Bunga to open up new horizons to ensure that Malaysians do not miss the golden political opportunity in this general election to smash the Barisan Nasional political hegemony and two-thirds majority to lay the basis for a new Malaysia in the new millennium starting with  the restoration of  justice, freedom, democracy and good governance.

In the last 24 hours, my electoral battles in Bukit Bendera and Kebun Bunga have  become even more uphill as a result of two developments.

Firstly, Gerakan President Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik had upped the ante in the Bukit Bendera contest by declaring that Chia Kwang Thye would be appointed a Deputy Minister if he is elected on Nov. 29, 1999.   I would not be surprised if the caretaker Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad should announce that Chia Kwang Thye would be appointed a full Minister if he could defeat me in the polls on Monday.

Secondly, we have discovered  phantom voters in Bukit Bendera to rig the election result.  There are for instance over 279  phantom voters in eight address, which are Rifle Range flats - and it is impossible to have 30 to 40 voters in one flat!   No wonder Mahathir had said that the tenth general election would be the dirtiest in the nation’s history - not only with the disenfranchisement of 680,000 new voters, the snap eight-day campaign period, the Barisan Nasional "fear and scare" political advertisements but also the scandal of  phantom voters secreted in selected constituencies.  The problem of phantom voters in Bukit Bendera may run into thousands.

The Election Commission should explain what it proposes to do with regard to these  thousands of phantom voters in Bukit Bendera, and in particular the 279  phantom voters in five Rifle Range flats.

It is a real scandal if the Election Commission allows thousands of phantom voters to rig the election result while 680,000 citizenship are disenfranchised and denied the right to vote although they had registered six months ago in April/May.

(24/11/99)

*Lim Kit Siang - DAP Secretary-General, Parliamentary Candidate for Bukit Bendera and State Assembly candidate for Kebun Bunga