DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today likened Umno to a “paper tiger” and accused the party of demonising the Opposition because it was threatened by the growing support to Pakatan Rakyat.
Lim referred to what he called the “4M” model – mass media, government machinery, money and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s politics of racial and religious extremism – saying Barisan Nasional resorted to lies to hide their corruption, cronyism and abuse of power.
“If they cannot use money to buy you, they will use threats and violence. If that does not work, then they will use hate to define us and rely on the fear of the minority races and DAP as objects of hatred,” Lim said in his speech at the DAP special congress in Petaling Jaya today.
The meeting is to hold fresh polls to elect members to its central executive committee as instructed by the Registrar of Societies, after several disgruntled members claimed that the election in December last year was not properly conducted.
Referring to Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia, Lim called it “a paper full of lies” and having “no shame”.
This comes on the heels of the newspaper’s apology to both Lim and party adviser Lim Kit Siang over a September 9 report on the controversial Tanda Putera film.
In the report titled “Cuba sembunyi kebiadaban DAP” (Trying to hide DAP’s insolence), it was alleged that Guan Eng as the Penang Chief Minister attempted to block the screening of the controversial movie in the state’s cinemas in order to hide a DAP leader’s act during the May 13, 1969 race riots.
The report identified Kit Siang, who it said had allegedly urinated in front of the then Selangor menteri besar’s residence during the riots. Kit Siang had strongly denied the allegation, saying he was not in Kuala Lumpur at that time.
MORE TO COME.
