Now the cat is out of the bag.

MCA is clearly behind the plot to mislead UMNO Ministers to spearhead the vicious demonization campaign against DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok falsely accusing her video, “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” as being anti-Malay and anti-Islam, and therefore deserving not only downright condemnation by all right-thinking Malaysians but also the fullest punishment whether under the laws of the land or the law of the jungle.

I have come to this conclusion after reading the Bernama report of the statement by the MCA deputy president, Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong, at the Sabah MCA CNY dinner in Kota Kinabalu last night, where he advised Teresa to apologise for her video clip “for the good of Malaysians”.

Present at the Sabah MCA CNY dinner in Kota Kinabalu were the Sabah Yang diPertua Negeri, Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Urban and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

What interested me was the presence of Apdal, the first UMNO/BN leader to open up the attack on Teresa on the video on the completely baseless grounds that the video “Onederful Malaysia” lampooned the Malaysian security forces and the Lahad Datu incursion tragedy.

When it was pointed out that the video contained no reference whatsoever to the security forces or the Lahad Datu tragedy, then one UMNO Minister after another joined the fray and accused Teresa’s video of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Who misled Apdal into opening the attack on Teresa’s video, when clearly Apdal could not have understood the Mandarin or Cantonese dialogue in the video, and who were responsible for misleading other UMNO Ministers and leaders, as well as Muslim NGOs into believing that Teresa’s video was anti-Malay and anti-Islam – like the six NGOs which styled themselves the “Council for Islamic NGOs” which conducted the disgraceful blood-splattered “chicken slaughtering” demonstration last Thursday, committing a slew of offences such as sedition, criminal intimidation, incitement of another May 13 riots as well as incitement of violence against a woman MP when RM1,200 was publicly offered to anyone who slapped Teresa Kok?

I have right from the beginning suspected that there were “unseen hands” manipulating UMNO Ministers, leaders and so-called Islamic NGOs, to launch a vicious demonization campaign against Teresa on the ground that her video was anti-Malay and anti-Islam, for two reasons: (i) the allegations that Teresa’s video is anti-Malay and anti-Islam were completely baseless; and (ii) the many UMNO Ministers, leaders and “Islamic NGOs” taking umbrage raises questions as the language in the dialogue in the video was in Cantonese and Mandarin.

I made a standing invitation more than a week ago to be “educated” as to how Teresa’s video is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, and this invitation remains open and valid – for I really want to know how Teresa’s video could be described as anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Teresa would be going against DAP principle and policy if she produces a video which is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, as the DAP had always stood for a Malaysia for all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion.

In fact, when the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin repudiated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s signature 1Malaysia policy in early 2010 and declared that he was “Malay first, Malaysian second”, I proudly declared in Parliament that I was “Malaysian first, Chinese second”.

This basic principle remains unchanged and unshakeable – and as I have said many a time, DAP leaders, whether Members of Parliament or State Assembly members, must always regard themselves as “Malaysian first and race and religion second” – as we are first and foremost Malaysian patriots and not race champions!

In pursuit of this long-standing DAP principle and objective of being a party for all Malaysians, I have no doubt that Teresa Kok would have no hesitation in withdrawing and apologising for the “Onederful Malaysia” video if there are portions which are anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

But Teresa and DAP leaders have been waiting for someone to come out into the open to point out and substantiate the allegation that Teresa’s video is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, but no one has been able to do so in the past two weeks.

If Teresa’s video is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, why is it so difficult for someone to point this out publicly?

This is in fact the best proof that while one can disagree with Teresa’s video – with some particularly in MCA and Gerakan claiming that it is in bad taste to produce such a CNY video with stinging criticisms of the Barisan Nasional government in failing to resolve the people’s hardships and grievances arising from price hikes, fall in educational standards, high crime rates and rampant corruption in the country – it could not be faulted for being anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

I have always suspected that UMNO Ministers and leaders have been led by the nose and “poisoned” by Chinese leaders in MCA and Gerakan as the Teresa video issue as they do not understand the dialogue which is in Mandarin and Cantonese, and misinformed into believing that Teresa’s video was a most ferocious and aggressive attack on the Malays and Islam.

Wee’s statement at the Sabah MCA CNY dinner appears to be “the smoking gun” that it is the MCA who are the “unseen hands” misleading UMNO Ministers to spearhead the vicious demonization campaign against Teresa’s video on the completely false allegation that it is anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Wee and the top MCA leadership should cease and desist, and not be so unprincipled and unscrupulous as to stoop so low to “poison” and mislead UMNO Ministers and leaders into believing that Teresa’s video is anti-Malay and anti-Islam when there is nothing anti-Malay or anti-Islam in the video.

If Wee believes that Teresa’s video is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, then let him declare how Teresa’s video is anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Otherwise, has Wee and the new MCA leaders including the MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai got the courage, ethics and principle to declare publicly that there is nothing anti-Malay or anti-Islam in Teresa’s video and that UMNO Ministers and leaders have been completely misled.

It is public knowledge that Wee and the top MCA leaders are only pre-occupied with one issue – how to get back to Cabinet and government after being out in the wilderness for nine months.

They should be more concerned about political principles and honour.

They should ask the Prime Minister and Cabinet to repudiate and reprimand the Home Minister, Datuk Ser Zahid Hamidi for condoning and absolving the self-styled “Council for Islamic NGOs” in their slew of crimes, including criminal intimidation, sedition, incitement of violence against woman, incitement of violence against a Member of Parliament, incitement of another May 13 riots, and declare that unless the Prime Minister and Cabinet repudiate and reprimand Zahid for his irresponsible stand that there was nothing for the police to investigate against “Council for Islamic NGOs” despite police reports lodged by DAP and Pakatan Rakyat MPs and State Assembly members , there is no purpose of MCA returning to be Ministers and members of such a disreputable and dishonourable Government.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 10th February 2014)