Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Thursday, May 24, 1990 at 11.30 a.m
Keng Yaik has launched a million-dollar million-poster campaign of lies that DAP wants to establish an Islamic State
Gerakan President, Datuk Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, is resorting to the most despicable political tactics of printing and putting up poster lies.
Gerakan has last night put up in Penang a multi-coloured poster in two languages, English and Chinese, depicting PAS President, Fadzil Nor and me, secretly co-operating to establish an Islamic State, with the poster wording: ‘DAP-PAS JOIN HANDS FOR ISLAMIC STATE’ with Fadzil Noor saying ‘COME … JOIN US’ and with me saying ‘Shssssss …. KEEP SECRET TILL AFTER ELECTION’. In this poster, I was drawn perched on a rocket and wearing a songkok.
This poster is published by Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia and printed by Guan Ming Ribao.
Lim Keng Yaik has reached a new level of low and dirty tricks in Malaysia politics. Keng Yaik, and the Gerakan brain-trust comprising Gerakan Deputy President, Kerk Choo Ting, the Gerakan National Youth leader, Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and the Gerakan Publicity Bureau Director, Dr. Kang Chin Seng, may be very proud of their latest dirty trick, but all right-thinking Malaysians must be disgusted by such dishonest, unscrupulous and unprincipled political behaviour.
DAP will never stoop so low as Keng Yaik, Choo Ting, Tsu Koon and Dr. Kang as to indulge in such political dirty tricks and lies. Gerakan has always boasted that they have highly educated people with several holding PH.Ds like Tsu Koon and Dr. Kang. But if these ‘doctor’ personalities in the Gerakan have no moral scruples or political integrity, what is the use of their high education?
I understand that the Gerakan is printing at least a million copies of this poster of lies to be put up all over the country, and this campaign is to cost Gerakan over a million ringgit.
In retrospect, it is now clear that this million-ringgit, million-poster campaign was planned well in advance as the second step of the Gerakan offensive against the DAP to try to put the scare of the Islamic State among the people.
The first step in this Gerakan offensive was the lies about the secret DAP-PAS meeting in Jakarta, announced by Keng Yaik in Selangor on April 22. The second step is this million-ringgit million-poster campaign.
If one million posters, and one million ringgit, can turn a lie into a truth, then Keng Yaik, Choo Ting, Tsu Koon and Dr. Kang will succeed in their plan to make the people believe that the DAP wants to create an Islamic State by co-operating with PAS.
I doubt however that Keng Yaik and his brain-trust would succeed in their design even if Gerakan should spend $10 million and print ten million posters and put them in very nook and corner in the country.
In politics, whatever our political differences, we must be honourable. If we make an allegation, one must be prepared to back it up.
Keng Yaik has made a very serious allegation about the secret DAP-PAS meeting in Jarkata, and when I challenged him to produce the evidence, he could only produce another liar, without any evidence.
This is why I had to print the ‘Keng Yaik – You Are A Liar’ posters to force Keng Yaik to sue me in court, where he would be compelled to produce evidence for the so-called secret DAP-PAS meeting in Jarkata, or be judged by the Courts as a liar.
Now, Keng Yaik has come out with this poster, clearly accusing the DAP of wanting to create an Islamic State by co-operating with PAS.
I am reiterating my challenge to Keng Yaik to a series of public debates in Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and English on this Gerakan allegation that the DAP wants to create an Islamic State by co-operating with PAS. Keng Yaik can have Choo Ting, Tsu Koon and Dr. Kang as his supporting speakers in this debate.
If Keng Yaik dares to launch this million-dollar, million-poster campaign, then he should have the courage and conviction to accept my challenge to public debates, where he would have the opportunity to prove his allegation.
If Keng Yaik dare not take up my challenge to a series of public debates after he had launched this million-dollar, million-poster campaign, then he is demonstrating to all Malaysians that he is a political leader who will stoop to any level, lies and dirty tricks just to attack his political opponents.