Before the advent of Internet, electronic and social media, the normal reaction time to political challenges worldwide is one day as 24 hours is given to allow the original challenge to appear on the printed media the next day.

Electronic and social media has destroyed the 24-hour rule, as in the age of modern communication, information travels at the speed of light, making it possible to know what is happening almost instantaneously all over the world.

I believe my statement challenging the Barisan Nasional candidate for Cameron Highlands by-election, Ramli Mohd Nor to make the Cameron Highlands by-election the cleanest in nation’s history with the Barisan Nasional and Pakantan Harapan candidates making daily declarations of their by-election expenditures and invitation to Election Commission and NGOs to monitor their daily campaigns would have been known to Ramli six hours ago.

My statement was issued at 9.57 a.m, and although it was reported by Malay Mail Online shortly after 11 am and fully reproduced by Malaysiakini at 12.13 pm, Barisan Nasional mass media communications network would have informed Ramli of my statement shortly after 10 am.

Why then the thunderous silence from Ramli, who wants to give the impression that “integrity” is one the priority goals of his Cameron Highlands campaign when he said that if he wins the by-election, it will not be based on bribery.

Does Ramli mean that he would not be involved in bribery, but that this pledge does not bind the Barisan Nasional – the reason why there is no response from him to my challenge to make the Cameron Highlands by-election the cleanest in nation’s history with the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan candidates making daily declarations of their by-election expenditures and invitation to Election Commission and NGOs to monitor their daily campaigns?

Malaysiakini reported today that while the other three candidates for the Cameron Highlands by-election have a full day ahead of them, with the Pakatan Harapan candidate M . Manogaran splitting his time between the Tanah Rata and Jelai areas, “BN has announced a grand total of zero events to the media”.

Why is this so. What is the reason for the “black hole” in the by-election itinerary of the Barisan Nasional candidate? Are they planning activities which they do not want the public, including the Election Commission and NGOs monitoring elections, to know?

What is the Barisan Nasional machinery hiding from the Malaysian public?

Is this the reason why it is impossible and unthinkable that there could be any positive response from Ramli to my challenge to co-operate with the Pakatan Harapan candidate to make the by-election the cleanest in nation’s history with the BN and PH candidates making daily declarations of their by-election expenditures and invitation to Election Commission and NGOs to monitor their daily campaigns?

The last three days were quite hilarious – with the tongue-in-cheek speech by UMNO leaders like UMNO Supreme Council member, Tan Sri Noh Omar, calling on the voters not to sell their votes, but to “take whatever they give you” whether rice, money or sugar.

This is a speech for Pakatan Harapan leaders and not Barisan Nasional leaders – as Pakatan Harapan does not buy votes, whether Malays, Chinese, Indian or Orang Asli voters.

There was also the hilarious press conference in Kampong Raja by the MCA President, Datuk Seri Wee Ka, who worked himself up into a hysteria over the reimbursement of RM20 each to some 60 Orang Asli motorcylists while remaining blind and unconcerned to the monstrous RM50 billion 1MDB corruption and money-laundering scandal of Datuk Seri Najib Razak!

Can I remind Wee that RM20 each is legitimate reimbursement for some 60 Orang Asli motor-cyclists who came out from remote Orang Asli kampongs especially from the Jelai area to Tanah Rata on Saturday for Nomination, while the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal is not legitimate at all, as it is theft and daylight robbery of the people’s money.

Is Wee aware that RM50 billion is 2.5 billion times bigger than RM20 – a classic case of MCA blindness to kleptocracy, immorality and wrongdoing in Malaysia, the real reason why MCA was completely rejected in the 14th General Election and reduced from a 7/11 political party in the 13th General Election to a mosquito party with only one MP?

Does Ramli stand for honesty and integrity, as he had not answered although I had asked three times whether he would condemn the 1MDB scandal and the Najib kleptocracy which had brought shame and infamy to Malaysia as a global kleptocracy?

This is the fourth time I am asking Ramli to take as principled stand – or can the voters of Cameron Highlands assume that he would not condemn the 1MDB corruption and money-laundering scandal but would instead embrace Datuk Seri Najib Razak as a model leader when Najib campaigns in Cameron Highlands from Friday to Sunday?

(Media Statement (3) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, January 14, 2019)

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Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada Isnin, 14 Januari 2019:

Kenapa Ramli dan Barisan Nasional (BN) mendiamkan diri terhadap cabaran untuk menjadikan Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Cameron Highlands sebagai pilihan raya terbersih dalam sejarah negara?

Sebelum kewujudan Internet, media sosial dan elektronik, masa yang diberikan untuk membalas cabaran politik di seluruh dunia adalah satu hari kerana tempoh masa 24 jam diperlukan untuk media cetak menyiarkan cabaran tersebut pada hari berikutnya.

Media sosial dan elektronik telah memusnahkan peraturan 24 jam tersebut, kerana kita kini berada di era komunikasi moden, di mana maklumat bergerak pada kelajuan cahaya.

Saya yakin calon BN bagi PRK Cameron Highlands, Ramli Mohd Nor sedar akan kenyataan saya yang mencabar beliau untuk turut sama menjadikan PRK tersebut sebagai pilihan raya terbersih dalam sejarah negara dengan setiap calon yang bertanding mendedahkan setiap hari perbelanjaan pilihan raya dan menjemput Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) dan NGO untuk memantau kempen mereka setiap hari.

Kenyataan saya dikeluarkan pada jam 9.57 pagi, dan ia dilaporkan oleh Malay Mail Online selepas 11 pagi dan kenyataan penuh disiarkan oleh Malaysiakini di laman webnya pada 12.13 tengah hari, rangkaian komunikasi media BN sudah tentu memaklumkan Ramli mengenai kenyataan saya.

Mengapa Ramli – yang dilihat mahu menitik beratkan integriti dalam kempen di Cameron Highlands apabila berkata yang jika beliau menang PRK tersebut, ia bukanlah disebabkan oleh amalan rasuah – masih berdiam diri terhadap cabaran berkenaan?

Adakah kenyataan Ramli bahawa beliau tidak akan terlibat dengan rasuah tidak selari dengan pendirian BN? – menjadi sebab mengapa tidak ada sebarang respons daripada beliau terhadap cabaran untuk menjadikan PRK Cameron Highlands sebagai pilihan raya terbersih dalam sejarah negara?

Malaysiakini melaporkan hari ini BN tidak menjemput media ke sebarang acarannya, sedangkan calon Pakatan Harapan, M Manogaran terpaksa membahagikan masa untuk berkempen di kawasan Tanah Rata dan Jelai.

Mengapa jadi begini. Mengapa wujud kelompongan dalam jadual kempen calon BN? Adakah mereka merancang aktiviti tanpa mahu diketahui oleh orang awam, termasuk Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya dan NGO yang memantau pilihan raya?

Apa yang cuba disorokkan oleh jentera pilihan raya BN daripada pengetahuan umum?

Adakah ini antara sebab mengapa Ramli tidak memberikan sebarang respons terhadap cabaran saya untuk bekerjasama menjadikan PRK Cameron Highlands sebagai pilihan raya terbersih dalam sejarah negara?

Perjalanan kempen sepanjang tiga hari lalu dipenuhi dengan lawak jenaka – dimulai dengan ucapan ahli jawatankuasa tertinggi UMNO, Tan Sri Noh Omar, yang menyeru pengundi tidak menjual undi mereka, tetapi menasihati mereka agar jangan menolak sebarang pemberian termasuk beras, duit atau gula.

Ini adalah ucapan pemimpin BN dan bukan PH – kerana PH tidak akan membeli undi, sama ada daripada pengundi Melayu, Cina, India atau Orang Asli.

Malah, Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, mengadakan sidang media yang mengundang tawa, apabila mendedahkan mengenai apa yang didakwa mereka sebagai kegiatan membeli undi, sedangkan ia hanya bayaran balik wang sebanyak RM20 kepada kira-kira 60 Orang Asli yang menunggang motosikal ke hari penamaan calon, tetapi beliau menutup sebelah mata terhadap amalan rasuah 1MDB dan skandal pengubahan wang haram melibatkan Datuk Seri Najib Razak!

Ingin saya ingatkan Wee bahawa bayaran balik sebanyak RM20 itu tidak menyalahi akta pilihan raya, sebaliknya skandal RM50 bilion 1MDB terang-terangan salah dan merupakan rompakan di siang hari.

Adakah Wee sedar yang RM50 bilion adalah 2.5 bilion ganda lebih besar daripada nilai sekeping not RM20? Ekoran sikap berdiam diri MCA terhadap skandal 1MDB, parti itu kini menjadi parti nyamuk yang mempunyai hanya seorang wakil rakyat.

Adakah Ramli berpegang kepada integriti dan kejujuran, kerana sehingga kini, setelah tiga kali saya bertanya, beliau masih tidak menjawab sama ada beliau akan mengutuk skandal 1MDB dan kleptokrasi Najib yang memalukan negara di mata dunia?

Ini kali keempat saya meminta Ramli untuk menyatakan pendiriannya – atau pengundi Cameron Highlands terpaksa menganggap beliau tidak akan mengutuk skandal 1MDB dan skandal pengubahan wang haram melibatkan Najib, sebaliknya menerima Najib sebagai model pemimpin yang turun padang berkempen di Cameron Highlands pada Jumaat hingga Ahad lalu.