In the first twenty years of my political life, I was accused of being anti-Chinese educated and anti-Indian to prevent the DAP from getting support from the non-Malays in the urban areas. The irresponsible purveyors of these lies and falsehoods failed.

In the last twenty years of my political life, I was accused of being anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, and spreading Islamophobia to prevent the Malays in the rural and semi-rural areas from supporting the DAP. I am confident that these tactics would also fail because there is no truth of these demonisation, whether the DAP is anti-Chinese educated and anti-Indian, or anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty or spreading islamophobia.

DAP wants all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or Dayaks or Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhists or Taoists, to prosper and flourish because as a plural nation, Malaysia can only prosper and flourish if all races and religions can prosper and flourish and there is political stability, national unity and common purpose among Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region.

The very fact that there is not an of iota evidence to show that I was anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, and spreading Islamophobia from my 58 years of political life shows that the purveyors of these untruths, led by the PAS leader Hadi Awang, were just spreading lies, falsehoods, fake news, and hate speech just as they cannot point to a single instance of proof that the Penang State Government had been anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, and spreading Islamophobia after 15 years of DAP-controlled Penang State Government from 2008–2013.

I want to ask when Hadi still stop lying and spreading falsehoods and fake news after PKR deputy Information chief, Razeef Rakimin, asked Abdul Hadi Awang whether he had feigned being ill after a police interview of the latter was postponed due to health reasons.

Razeef asked if poor health was used as an excuse by Hadi to avoid being probed over a speech at PAS Bakri’s headquarters in Muar on Aug 26, in which the Islamist party’s leader was believed to have questioned the authority of the Pardons Board.

Can Hadi cite examples of Muslim leaders becoming Muslim leaders because they tell lies, falsehoods, fake news, and hate speech?

(Media Statement by DAP veteran after tour of coffee shops in Perling in support of the Pulai by-election candidate Suhaizan Kaiat on Sunday, 3rd September 2023)