The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should straighten out the UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers who had been launching a demonisation campaign against me in the last four months – and decide once and for all whether they are attacking me for wanting to be Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister after the 14th General Elections and not to vacillate between the two.
When the UMNO/BN demonisation campaign against me was launched some four months ago, I was targetted for wanting to take over the Federal Government in Putrajaya as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Since then, the UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers have been vacillating – from originally attacking me for wanting to become Prime Minister to wanting to become Deputy Prime Minister, but in the last few days, the UMNO propaganda demonisation campaign have returned to the original theme of targetting me for wanting to be Prime Minister.
Clearly, the UMNO demonisation propagandists are a confused lot as they cannot make up their mind – whether I am plotting to become Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister!
Although the Malaysian Constitution provides that any Malaysian can be a Prime Minister, the idea of becoming Prime Minister of Malaysia had never entered my mind.
I can vouch that for the band of Malaysians who came together 51 years ago to form the Democratic Action Party in pursuit of a Malaysian Dream of a country where all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, can feel proud of their place under the Malaysian sun, we never thought of becoming State Assembly members or Members of Parliament, let alone to be Ministers, Deputy Prime Minister or Prime Minister.
We were in politics not because of what we can get out of political involvement, but what we can give to the country in terms of helping to make this country of ours a more united, democratic, just, progressive and prosperous nation.
UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers have alleged that I had a secret meeting with Tun Mahathir on December 3 last yer, where we sealed an agreement that after the 14th General Elections Mukhriz Mahathir would be the Prime Minister and I the Deputy Prime Minister.
This was a total lie. I never met Mahathir for a secret meeting on Dec 3 last year, and in my various meetings with him, we never discussed the subject of Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister
It is most strange that while the Prime Minister and his Ministers are publicly condemning fake news and false information, they are the creators of the most ridiculous fake news and false information against Pakatan Harapan parties and leaders.
Why is this the case?
DAP leaders and myself are not the real targets of UMNO demonisation campaign against DAP and myself but Pakatan Harapan, for UMNO leaders are aware that the Pakatan Harapan coalition of DAP, PKR, AMANAH and Pribumi Bersatu stands a good chance of defeating the UMNO/BN coalition in the 14th General Election.
UMNO/BN leaders have decided on a strategy to frighten the Malay voters that a vote for Pakatan Harapan will be a vote for DAP and a vote for the Chinese against the Malays – a sad and shocking resort to the politics of lies, hate and fear because the UMNO leadership believes that it has lost popular support of the Malays in the country.
In the first place DAP is not a Chinese party but a Malaysian party, comprising Malaysian patriots regardless of race, religion or region. The very fact that UMNO leaders could not come out with a single instance to show that I am anti-Malay or anti-Islam in my 51 years of political activities and could think of the ludicrous stratagem of a RM10,000 essay or social media posting competition on whether I am anti-Malay or anti-Islam is the biggest joke of all!
In the second place, the 14th General Elections is not a battle between the DAP and UMNO, but Pakatan Harapan versus the Barisan Nasional – and if UMNO loses Federal power, the Prime Minister will not be a Chinese but a Malay.
In the third place, the real issue in the 14th General Election is whether Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, could save Malaysia from a global kleptocracy and the trajectory towards a failed and a rogue state – whether Malaysia restore its democracy or settles down as a global kleptocracy.
This is the choice before Malaysians in the 14 General Elections!
(Speech at the DAP Kopitiam Ceramah in Plentong, Johor Baru on Sunday, April 9, 2017 at 9 am)