The Cameron Highlands by-election on Saturday will not only be the most important electoral battle in the history of Cameron Highlands, it will also have far-reaching consequences for the country and future generations.

For this reason, I call on every outstation voter in Cameron Highlands to take the trouble to return home to cast his or her vote on Saturday. This will be an investment worth making, for it will not only affect the people of Cameron Highlands for the next four years, but also future generations in Cameron Highlands as well as all Malaysians for the next few decades.

There are at least five important objectives of the Cameron Highlands by-election on Saturday.

It was supposed to be a very local by-election but it has suddenly been catapulted to national significance, as the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has decided to make it an acid test as to whether he could make a political comeback and even return as Malaysian Prime Minister in the 15th General Election by 2023 by becoming the BN campaigner-in-chief in the by-election.

Najib wants to make the Cameron Highlands by-election the launching-pad for his “Save Najib” Campaign, which will be the opening salvo of his 15th General Election agenda to make a political comeback and return as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

The first national objective of the Cameron Highlands by-election is therefore for the Cameron Highlands voters to represent the nation to say three “Noes”, viz No to Najib, No Najib political comeback and No Najib return to Putrajaya as Prime Minister.

In short, defeat Najib’s plan to make Cameron Highlands by-election on Saturday the launching pad for a “Save Najib” campaign.

Malaysian voters made a herculean effort on May 9, 2018 to Save Malaysia, and despite the impossible odds, they succeeded to carry out a peaceful and democratic transition of Federal Power from UMNO/BN to Pakatan Harapan which shocked and amazed not only Malaysians, but the world.

It is not possible in 100 days, eight months, one or two years to undo all the kleptocacy, abuses of power, corruption and criminal breaches of the law in the past decades and complete the task to build a New Malaysia which unites all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or culture to become world champions through democracy, justice, rule of law and good governance.

The New Malaysia project of Pakatan Harapan is a work-in-progress, and a victory for Pakatan Harapan in Cameron Highlands by-election will be a great fillip to the New Malaysia work-in-progress while a Barisan Nasional win in Cameron Highlands to “Save Najib” will be seen as a blow to the “Save Malaysia” programme of the 14th General Election and the first major step in the “Save Najib” programme in the 15th General Election.

The second national objective of Cameron Highlands by-election is to tell the world that Malaysians is increasingly committed to reject Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy and a corrupt nation, as in the case of the Najib premiership.

In fact, it was precisely because there were brave and courageous Orang Asli from Cameron Highlands who were prepared to be witnesses in the election petition for declaration that the election of MIC National Vice President C. Sivarraajh as Cameron Highlands MP was null and void, that there is a by-election to ensure integrity in every aspect of national life.

The third national objective is to represent Malaysians to show their rejection of the formation of a new political union of UMNO and PAS, with MCA and MIC accepting and playing their role as little “small brothers” to the new UMNO-PAS union.

The fourth national objective is represent Malaysians to reject the toxic and vicious politics of lies, hate, fear, race and religion perpetrated by the new UMNO-PAS axis, which has also contaminated the by-election, two examples being: firstly, flyers bearing the image of Harapan candidate M Manogaran and the title “DAP Hindu/Hindraf bunuh Adib” (DAP Hindu/Hindraf killed Adib); and secondly, spread of WhatApps messages during the campaign which were downright lies and falsehoods like the following WhatsApp message: “Lim Kit Siang mengusulkan didlm Dewan Rakyat supaya perkataan Islam Dan Melayu digugurkan dlm Perlembagaan”. In my 45 years in the Dewan Rakyat, I have never submitted such a motion.

The fifth national objective of the Cameron Highlands by-election to endorse the results of the last general elections for Malaysia to become a world top-class nation, for Malaysians to be world champions like celebrity chef Chef Wan from Felda Sungai Koyan, through a nation-building policy which unites Malaysians regardless of race, religion or language; which celebrates our diversity as an asset instead of a weakness and liability, and which is designed to ensure that all Malaysians respect, love and embrace Malaysians of a different race, religion or culture instead of inciting Malaysians to fear and hate Malaysians of different race, religion or culture.

When Najib first became Prime Minister in 2009, he said he will be Prime Minister of all Malaysians. Yesterday, Najib said Pakatan Harapan candidate M. Manogaran is not capable of defending the interests of Islam and the Muslim community, unlike BN and PAS.

Is Najib saying that a Muslim Prime Minister is not capable of defending the interests of non-Muslim Malaysians – and if not so, why can’t non-Muslim political leaders defend the interests of Muslim Malaysians?

Has Najib ever paused to wonder when and why he has developed such a forked tongue?

Firstly, were the former MPs for Cameron Highlands Malays and Muslims?

Secondly, who in the history of Malaysian politics had sacrificed his political future, jailed for twelve months, disqualified as a Member of Parliament and disenfranchised of his citizen rights to vote and to stand for elections for five years except for the single case of Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General, in the defence of the honour and dignity of an underaged Malay girl? Did Najib or any other UMNO leader perform any such a great sacrifice?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Brinchang on Thursday, January 24, 2019)