Will the tipping point where the Malay voters are no more misled by UMNO and PAS lies, falsehood and disinformation that DAP is communist, anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Royalty take place in the 15th General Election?

Will the tipping point where the Malay voters are no more misled by UMNO and PAS likes, falsehood and disinformation that the DAP is communist, anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Royalty take place in the 15th General Election?

This will determine whether the DAP parliamentary candidate for Jerai, Zulhazmi Shariff, can make a breakthrough and become a Member of Parliament on November 19, 2022.

Since the first general election contested in 1969, for 13 general elections till now, the DAP had fielded parliamentary and state assembly candidates from all races, Malays, Chinese and Indians, and in the last few general elections, Kadazans and Dayaks.

In my first speech in Parliament in 1971, I had stated very clearly that the DAP accepted and supported all the nation-building principles formulated by UMNO and Alliance leaders and embedded in the Constitution and Rukun Negara – constitutional monarchy, sovereignty of Rulers, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, rule of law, an independent judiciary, good governance, public integrity with the minimum of corruption, meritocracy, respect for human rights, Article 3 on Islam as the religion of Malaysia but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony; Article 152 on Malay as the National Language and the freedom and use, teaching or learning of other languages, Article 153 on the special position of Malays and bumiputeras and the legitimate interests of other communities; unity and harmony of Malaysia’s multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural diversity.

There is no anti-Malay, anti-Chinese, anti-Indian, anti-Kadazan, anti-Dayak or ant-Muslim, anti-Buddhist, anti-Hindu or anti-Christianity sentiments on the ground, but certain UMNO and PAS leaders continue to poison the minds of the people that the Malays and Islam are under threat.

DAP poses no threat to Malays or Islam and in my 57 years in Malaysian politics, I have never accused any UMNO or PAS leader as anti-Chinese, anti-Indian, anti-Kadazan or anti-Buddhism, anti-Hinduism, anti-Christianity.

Where does the threat to Malays and Islam come from?

The 15th General Election will be a test whether Malaysia’s political leaders can practise the healthy politics of truth and about policies, or resort to the toxic politics of lies, falsehood, race and religion.

The 2018 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) fiasco is the best example.

PAS President, Hadi Awang, accused the DAP of wanting to promote its anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Royalty agenda and in the early months of the Pakatan Harapan government pressed for the ratification of UN treaties like ICERD.

This was a lie. In actual fact, DAP Ministers and leaders knew nothing about the matter and were as surprised as anybody at the then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad’s speech in the UN General Assembly in September 2018 that Malaysia would ratify all core UN treaties, including ICERD.

Now the truth is out. The DAP had nothing to do with the ICERD ratification issue in 2018.

The then Foreign Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah has blamed P. Waythamoorthy as the “lead” Minister handling ICERD in 2018. This has been denied by Waythamoorthy, accusing Saifuddin of telling a “blatant lie”, saying it was not his job as the then national unity minister to negotiate ICERD’s ratification with the United Nations (UN).

He said: “The task of ratifying international treaties is clearly within the job scope of the foreign minister, the law minister and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

“The issue over ICERD erupted because Saifuddin inserted Malaysia’s commitment in a speech that (then prime minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad delivered at the UN General Assembly.”

Is Hadi, as an exemplary Islamic leader, going to apologise to the DAP for telling lies about the DAP and ICERD concerning the ICERD ratification fiasco?

Hadi has also made the false accusation that DAP is promoting Bangsa Malaysuia as part of is anti-Malay and anti-Islam campaign.

Hadi is very wrong. Bangsa Malaysia does not ask Malaysians to forget or extinguish their ethnic identities as Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Dayaks or give up their religious identities as Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians, but to celebrate their diverse racial and religious identities with an overarching common identity as Malaysians First.

Is Hadi going to apologise to the DAP for this second lie he is spreading about the DAP?

Furthermore, can be explain why he never denounce Mahathir when Mahathir proposed Bangsa Malaysia in Vision 2020?

But Hadi’s most scurrilous lie about the DAP is that the DAP is communist. Will Hadi also apologise for his third lie against the DAP?