By Parliamentary opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 23rd September 1990:
Mahathir’s allegation that he has taped recording of a statement by Tengku Razaleigh that Semangat 46 would kill DAP after coming into power is the latest Barisan Nasional lie for the coming general elections.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, said in Changloon on Friday that he had proof to show that Semangat 46 intends to kill DAP and PAS if it gains power.
Dr. Mahathir said that he had a tape of a speech by Semangat 45 President, Tengku Razaleigh, to Semangat 46 leaders in his house in Kuala Lumpur recently, where Tengku Razaleigh said that once Semangat 46 gained power, it would revive UMNO and proceed to kill PAS and DAP.
Dr. Mahathir’s allegation is proof that in the next general elections, all sorta of dirty tactics and lies would be used to confuse the voters for the simple reason that for the first time in history, Dr, Mahathir and the Barisan Nasional is facing the most serious political challenge.
In the next general elections, Dr. Mahathir could lose his command of two-thirds majority in Parliament, or even lose power altogether.
This is no excuse however to embark on a campaign of lies and calumny, or to resort to the most irresponsible politics of race and of fear, like threatening the voters with a possible May 13 if the voters support the Opposition.
Nobody is going to believe Dr. Mahathir’s latest allegation, which join list of lies which Barisan Nasional leaders have been peddling recently.
I call on Dr. Mahathir to be a democrat and a gentleman and to fight the coming general elections on a clean and honest basis.
This is why the DAP wants a Commonwealth Observer Mission to come for the general elections to ensure that the polis will be ‘free, fair, clean and honest’.