The third proof that the so-called National Co-operation Charter signed by PAS and UMNO at the Himpunan Penyatuan Ummah (HPU) at the UMNO headquarters at PWTC on Saturday was actually a Charter for Fake New and Hate Speech was the upsurge of fake news and hate speech on the social media exploiting the 3Rs to depict a false picture of DAP as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Royalty within 48 hours of the signing of the Charter.

The first proof was the speech by the UMNO Vice President Datuk Ismail Sabri at the HPU on Saturday perpetrating the fake news that Jakim and the halal certification process had been transferred to the Finance Ministry, and the hate speech to create alarm, fear and hate among Muslims that non-Muslims are now responsible for the halal certification process.

The second proof was the speech by the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang in Bintulu at a Malaysia Day event where he perpetrated the fake news that DAP wanted to give control of the state and its wealth to the Chinese and the hate speech to create alarm, fear and hate among Malays and Muslims that the DAP was “the biggest leader” in the Pakatan Harapan government in Putrajaya to ensure that “the wealth for Chinese only, not for all people; other people are left behind”!

The third proof was that within 48 hours of the signing of the so-called National Co-operation Charter by PAS and UMNO leaders, there was an upsurge of fake news and hate speech on the social media exploiting the 3Rs to depict a false picture of DAP as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Royalty.

I saw yesterday viralling on the social media, among others, a post portraying me as attacking the Malay Rulers – which is completely false and untrue.

I am confident that finally, truth will triumph over fake news and goodwill, understanding and harmony will win over hate speech.

Not that this has not happened before – and the historic and miraculous decision of May 9, 2018 is a triumph over fake news and hate speech perpetrated by the pedlar-in-chief of fake news and hate speech who was none other than the global kleptocrat and Prime Minister, who with the now international fugitive from justice, presided over a campaign and expended billions of ringgit on an army of cybertroopers to spread fake news and hate speech.

Who will forget the three colossal fake news and hate speech which was the core of Najib’s UMNO Presidential Speech at the December 2016 UMNO General Assembly, where he said that :

1. The 14th General Elections will be a contest between UMNO and DAP;
2. The DAP is anti-Malay or anti-Islam.
3. The “nightmares” Malay will suffer if UMNO loses power in the next general election.

Who will forget the height of criminal and anti-national irresponsibility to use public funds to produce the film, Tanda Putera, depicting the spurious and fictitious incident of a young Chinese man urinating in front of the Selangor Mentri Besar’s official residence provoking the May 13, 1969 riots, and trying to link the young Chinese man to me, when I was never in Kuala Lumpur during the May 13, 1969 racial riots?

But all these and many other colossal fake news and hate speech to create fear and feed hatred for the DAP as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Sultans have failed, for the historic and miraculous decision of May 9, 2018 would not have occurred.

Now, with the PAS-UMNO HPU and the National Co-operation Charter, these fake news and hate speech have been revived with a vengeance, with Hadi and not Najib spearheading the campaign of lies and falsehood. I do not know whether Hadi’s participation has sanitised these fake news and hate speech, to make them shariah-compliant.

But it is clear that the new round of fake news and hate speech is different from the previous attacks – it will be focussed on the DAP as the Big Brother in Pakatan Harapan and the Puppet-Master in the Government pulling all the strings on the Ministers, including Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

But this new campaign of fake news and hate speech is built on monumental lies – for DAP is not the “Big Brother” or “Puppet-Master” of the Pakatan Harapan Government.

I had anticipated this gambit and this is one of the reasons why I decided not to be in the Cabinet.

Mahathir is not my puppet and I am not Mahathir’s stooge – despite two contradictory demonization campaigns, one painting me as the Puppet Master of the Pakatan Harapan Government (UMNO and PAS) and the other depicting me as a puppet on the strings pulled by Mahathir (MCA, Gerakan).

We have beaten the perpetrators of fake news and hate speech once, in the May 9, 2018, and there is no reason why we cannot beat them again, even with Hadi replacing Najib in calling the shots, in the next 15th General Election.

But we are faced with a new medium, the omnipresent social media which conveys information with the speed of light, enabling fake news and hate speech to be viralled instantly unless there is widespread social media literacy in the country, where every Malaysian develops the critical thinking to verify on the veracity of what they read on social media.

This is probably one of the greatest challenges of Malaysians today – to be among the top countries in the world in social media literacy where Malaysians do not become victims to fake news and hate speech!

This is something which the Pakatan Harapan Government must give both serious thought and priority.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Tuesday, September 17, 2019)