Lim Guan Eng was only eight years old in 1969 but he has been accused in the “dirtiest” pre-election campaign in country’s history of being responsible for May 13 riots in Kuala Lumpur as DAPSY leader at the time

 By Lim Kit Siang

Two days ago, former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad warned in Kedah that Malays would lose political power in the country if UMNO is defeated in the next general elections.

This is a lie, for if UMNO is defeated in the next general elections, UMNO would be replaced in Putrajaya not by DAP but by the Pakatan Rakyat coalition comprising PKR, PAS and DAP which is committed to a common policy framework to uphold the cardinal features of the Malaysian Constitution, including defending the role and responsibility of the institution of Constitutional Monarchy; Islam as the religion of the Federation while other religions can be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the country; the position of the Malay language as the National Language while protecting and strengthening the use of mother tongue languages for all races; and the special position of the Malays and the indigenous peoples including Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other races.

Mahathir knows that his warning that if UMNO is defeated, the Malays would lose political power was totally untrue and baseless – which was why Mahathir had campaigned actively for the defeat of UMNO led by former Prime Minister and UMNO President, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the 2008 general elections.

In fact, if it was true as alleged by some UMNO leaders that 47 out of 191 UMNO divisions were sabotaged during the last general election, a lot of thanks must go to Mahathir.

But what should interest all Malaysians is what made Mahathir to issue such a catastrophic and irresponsible prognosis about the next general election to arouse fear among the Malays?


There can only be one answer – Mahathir’s increasing sense of desperation because of a growing feeling and conviction that the defeat of UMNO and the end of UMNO rule in Putrajaya in the next general election are eminently on the cards.

It is in fact this realization that despite all the “freebies” politics of money involving tens of billions of ringgit of public funds and the media/publicity blitzkrieg campaign polishing the image of the Prime Minister with high-sounding slogans and policy proposals, the possibility that UMNO/Barisan Nasional can lose national power in the next general election is haunting the corridors of Putrajaya and has caused Najib sleepless nights in his agony over when to dissolve Parliament and return the mandate to the voters for the 13th general election in the country.

This is also why one of the Eight Demands of Bersih 2.0 for clean, free and fair elections – to “Stop Dirty Politics” – will never be agreed or met by UMNO/BN.

In fact, we are already shaping up to have the dirtiest general election in the 54 year history of the country.

All sorts of lies and falsehoods are being hurled against Pakatan Rakyat parties and leaders. And this is only the beginning.

For instance, among the terrible and atrocious lies told about the DAP on the Internet and social media when there is no ounce of truth whatsoever include:

• DAP wants to create a Christian Malaysia and make Christianity the official religion;

• Appoint a Christian Prime Minister; and

• Abolish the Sultanate system and establish a republic.

Through the Internet, UMNO/BN cybertroopers spread the vicious lie that I was responsible for the May 13 riots in 1969 and that I had roamed the streets of Kuala Lumpur after the 1969 general elections results, hurling anti-Malay abuses resulting in the May 13 riots.

In actual fact, I was never in Kuala Lumpur on May 10, 11, 12 and 13, 1969, something which could be easily verified in the media at the time and by the police records.

I was standing for parliamentary election in Bandar Melaka in 1969 and on the morning of May 13, 1969, I had taken the morning flight to Kota Kinabalu to help in the election campaign of Sabah Independent candidates as polling for Sabah/Sarawak in the 1969 general elections was scheduled a week after that in Peninsular Malaysia.

But what is even more monstrous is the accusation by these UMNO/BN cybertroopers that Lim Guan Eng was also responsible for the May 13 riots of 1969 on the ground that Guan Eng was the DAP Youth leader at the time and was in the forefront of anti-Malay attacks.

This is a triple lie.

Firstly, the DAP was never anti-Malay but was fully committed since our formation in 1966 to be a Malaysian party representing the legitimate rights and interests of all races in the country.

In fact, in 1969 DAP fielded several Malay candidates for parliamentary and state assembly elections and two Malay State Assemblymen were elected on DAP tickets, one in Perak and the other in Negri Sembilan.

Secondly, there was no DAP Youth in l969 as DAPSY (DAP Socialist Youth) was only formed in 1973, and the late P.Patto was the first DAPSY leader.

Thirdly, Guan Eng was only eight years old in May 1969 – and it illustrates how dirty and unprincipled politics has degenerated in Malaysia in the run up to the next general elections that such a despicable and contemptible accusation could be leveled against an eight-year-old child!

Is it any wonder why Bersih’s Demands for clean, free and fair elections, in particular in its Bersih 2.0 Eight Demands to “Stop dirty politics”, “Stop corruption”, “Strengthen public institutions” and “Free and fair access to media” find so little traction with UMNO/BN leaders?

(Speech at the DAP Triang Thousand-People Dinner on the occasion of the official opening of Triang DAP Branch Building on Tuesday, 22nd May 2012)