‘Father Augustus Chen’ is a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN ‘war-room psy-war’ campaign against DAP

The statement yesterday by the Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism and Umno MP for Kuala Pilah Hasan Malek quoting the fictitious figure “Father Augustus Chen” as authority for the decision by the Registrar of Societies director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman to direct DAP to hold re-elections for the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) has taken the Umno/BN conspiracy to invalidate the DAP CEC elections last December to the realm of the absolutely bizarre.

This is because “Father Augustus Chen”, who allegedly wrote a booklet alleging irregularities in the DAP party elections last year, is a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP before and after the 13th General Elections.

The allegations of DAP election irregularities by the fictitious “Father Augustus Chan” in his booklet is nothing more than a regurgitation of the many lies and baseless allegations which had been published in the some 400 anti-DAP reports and write-ups in the Umno/BN controlled media since January, particularly in Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times.

However, the fact that this booklet by a fictitious character was given such a high profile in the Umno/BN controlled media, published in four languages in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil, and distributed in huge quantities for free and general distribution, point to a high-powered and well-funded source – Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign to demonise and destroy the DAP (DDD).

I was at first perplexed why the booklet of lies by the fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” appeared last month as the 13th General Elections are over, but now I understand its appearance – to provide a semblance of justification for Umno/BN and the RoS to act against the DAP.

Abdul Rahman has said that the Societies Act does not provide the need for the RoS to explain his decision to the public.

Surely RoS is not contending that he has the powers under the law to act unreasonably, and the best way to convince the Malaysian public that he has not abused his powers is to explain the reasons for his decision.