I should feel angry or outraged but I have only pity and contempt for the MCA President, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai that he has sunk so low as to spread the atrocious lies of UMNO and PAS leaders that I want to be Prime Minister.

Even a person of minimum political sense would know that this canard has been used by UMNO leaders for quite some time to scare and railroad the Malay electorate to vote for UMNO in the next general election, as the centerpiece of their campaign of lies, fake news and false information that if UMNO is defeated in the next general election, the Malays and Islam would perish in Malaysia.

There is no need for me to repeat what I had said before that in my 52 years in politics, the thought of becoming Prime Minister has never entered my mind.

Let me reiterate my three basic political positions:

Firstly, I am in politics because of the Malaysian Dream, which I believed is shared by many Malaysians down the decades who have undivided love and loyalty to Malaysia – to build a nation where all Malaysians, regardless of their different racial, religious or regional backgrounds, are united and feel as one because they are Malaysians and proud to be a Malaysian, and where Malaysia can leverage on the best of the diverse races, cultures, religions and civilizations which meet in confluence in Malaysia, to be a top world nation in different fields of human endeavour.

Secondly, DAP has always been a party for all Malaysians and never a party for any one race. DAP leaders, who come from diverse ethnic and religious groups, never aspire to be leaders of only one ethnic or religious group, as we always see ourselves as representing all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region.

No person can be a Malaysian leader if he or she is against any one race or religion or concerned only about the rights and interests of only one community – as Malaysian leaders must set an example of rising above the racial, religious and regional differences in the country to serve the common national weal.

Thirdly, Malaysians who had supported DAP loyally and consistently in the past half a century did so not because they want a Chinese Malaysia or an Indian Malaysia, as they know that DAP never advocated a Chinese Malaysia, Indian Malaysia or Malay Malaysia, but because of the Malaysian Dream to build a Malaysia where all citizens, regardless of race, religion or region, have a rightful place under the Malaysian sun.

The nation celebrates the 60th National Day anniversary this year.

Had Malaysia in the past six decades lived up to the promise when we achieved Merdeka on August 31, 1957 and established Malaysia on Sept. 16, 1963 to be “a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of a just peace among all nations”?

If so, a Cabinet Minister who is the President of MCA would not have made the statement he made in Kluang yesterday, or the Prime Minister and UMNO leaders would not be spearheading the campaign of lies, fake news and false information to frighten and railroad the Malay electorate to vote for UMNO in the next general election with lies that DAP is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, that I want to be Prime Minister to dominate Pakatan Harapan and that if UMNO is defeated in the next general election, the Malays and Islam will perish in Malaysia.

And when the lies that DAP is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, that I want to be Prime Minister and that the Malays and Islam will perish if UMNO, find difficult traction and credibility among the Malay population, the PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang is roped in to lend authority and credibility to such lies, fake news and false information.

Now, even the MCA President is dragooned to disseminate such lies, fake news and false information – not for the urban electorate of Chinese, Indians and Malay voters but for the consumption of the rural Malay voters!

I had thought that after gaining the appellation of “Tung Shin Liow”, the MCA President would have learnt an expensive lesson about the importance of political integrity but I was wrong and he has done no MCA President had ever done!

Why are the lies, fake news and false information about the DAP being anti-Malay and anti-Islam, that I want to be Prime Minister to dominate Pakatan Harapan and that if UMNO is defeated in the next general election the Malays and Islam will perish in Malaysia, find difficult traction and credibility even among the Malay electorate in the rural areas?

There are probably three reasons.

Firstly, this is the information era and even rural voters have access to information.

Secondly, how can DAP be anti-Malay and anti-Islam when the Penang Chief Minster Lim Guan Eng was once imprisoned and disqualified as a Member of Parliament for defending the honour and dignity of an underaged Malay girl and the DAP-led Penang State Government had done more than previous Barisan Nasional state governments for Malays and Islam – as well as other races and religions?

Thirdly, the question posed by National Laureate Pak Samad, who asked: “How are Malays under threat? How can religion (Islam) and Malays be threatened when those in power have been Malay for over five decades? What have they (Malay leaders) been doing for five decades (if Malays can be under threat)?”

Far from the Malays and Islam perishing in Malaysia, a Pakatan Harapan government in Putrajaya will prove that it is more capable than the UMNO/BN government in protecting and promoting the rights and interests of all racial and religious groups in the country, especially the Malays and Islam, as it will otherwise lose the mandate to govern and face rejection in the subsequent general election five years later.

The remarks by the PAS Vice President and Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah yesterday that a leader from the party could become the next prime minister in ways that “can cannot imagine” shows it is Hadi who is dreaming of becoming Prime Minister.

Has Liow come around to accepting Hadi as Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister?