Pieces are falling into place – there is a high-powered and well-orchestrated campaign to break Pakatan Harapan by demonizing DAP and me, hoping at least to break my spirit and force my retirement from politics.

The two pieces which finally convince me of such a high-powered and well-orchestrated campaign were the latest attack from the MCA Deputy President and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Wee Ka Siong replete with lies and falsehoods and the uncharacteristic salvo from UMNO MP for Balik Pulau and Deputy Health Minister accusing me of being untrustworthy and a person not to be believed.

Before this, there were blasts from the UMNO Information chief, Annuar Musa culminating in taking hate politics to new height in Malaysia, offering RM10,000, which was upped to RM50,000 within 24 hours, for the “best” essay or social media posting that I am anti-Malay and anti-Islam and the “missing person” banners and posters which were put up in the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency.

I have never seen such an outpouring, close to an avalanche, of demonization of myself as in the last three months in the UMNO/Barisan owned or controlled mass media, like the New Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, Star, or TV3, when for the past half a century of my political activities, I was blacked out in these media, with clear directive given in one mainstream media that my photograph was never to be used.

Now I appear almost daily, if not in New Straits Times, then in Utusan, Berita Harian, Star or TV3, even with pictures – but there were no news, facts or truth, but downright lies, falsehood and fake news to demonise me, describing me as a devil, an hantu, puaka or even jembalang, as if I breathe fire or eat babies for breakfast; that I am anti-Malay, anti-Islam, that I was the cause of the May 13 racial riots in 1969 (exactly 48 years ago) although I was never in Kuala Lumpur during that period and was in fact in Kota Kinabalu on that tragic day of May 13, 1969; that I am a communist; a stooge of Singapore PAP.

An example of such fake news and false information, is the weekend claim by the BN Strategic Communication Director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Abdul Rahman Dahlan that there are DAP grassroots members and even leaders who want a change of DAP party leadership and that I should retire from politics.

In fact, if it is true that there are grievances among DAP grassroot members and among DAP leaders who want me to retire from politics, Rahman should not spoil their plans by making a public announcement of it, but quietly instigate such disaffection in the DAP.

Rahman would only make such a public announcement when his claim is just a pack of lies – part of a “masterplan” to demonise me and to break my spirit by incessant baseless attacks to compel me to retire from politics.

I am surprised that Wee as MCA Deputy Minister has been drafted into this high-powered and well-orchestrated diabolical “masterplan” to demonise me to the extent of breaking my spirit and compel me to retire from politics.

What he said in the Star today that I was only an MP for Ipoh Timor for two terms, “while for the rest (of the constituencies), it was only for one term” is another BN “fake news, false information”.

I previously had some respect for Wee, but when he is prepared to become a “court jester” in the UMNO/BN “masterplan” to demonise and destroy me, I will not waste any more time on him.

UMNO/BN leaders (including Wee) behind this conspiracy in the past few months making full use of the UMNO/BN mainstream media as well as the social media to demonise and destroy me should know of the saying 真金不怕紅爐火 (True Gold is not afraid of furnace fire).

I said in Gelang Patah on Saturday that I had been struggling with the question whether I should call it a day as I have been in Malaysian politics for 51 years, since the formation in 1966, and I want to thank supporters and well-wishers who had phoned up to urge me to soldier on.

The high-powered well-orchestrated campaign by UMNO/BN leaders to demonise and destroy me by breaking my spirit will have the effect of hardening my resolve NOT to succumb to such “dirty politics” of hate, fear and intimidation.

If I finally decide to soldier on in the 14GE, I have to thank the UMNO/BN “dirty tricks department” for their high-powered and well-orchestrated campaign of lies and falsehoods to try to destroy and break my spirit in the political arena.

I should tell the UMNO/BN leaders and propagandists in their “dirty tricks department” that they are sorely mistaken if they believe if they can engineer my retirement from politics, DAP will be easy meat.

With or without me, DAP will continue to be a Malaysian political party committed to the objectives of justice, fair play, freedom, democracy, development and prosperity for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region.

DAP is not a political party of one or a few persons but a national movement to achieve the Malaysian Dream where all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or political affiliation, can stand tall and feel proud as a Malaysian, not as at present, when we are ashamed outside the country to admit that we are Malaysians because of the curse, infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy and the 1MDB scandal.

(Media Statement in Parliament on Monday, 27th March 2017 at 3 pm)