Utusan’s republic claims baseless, says DAP

The DAP has lashed out at Utusan Malaysia’s claims that the opposition party wants to abolish the Malay sultanate when it has repeatedly committed itself to upholding the fundamentals of the Malaysian Constitution.

Its parliamentary leader, Lim Kit Siang, called yesterday’s column by Awang Selamat, a pseudonym used by the Umno-owned newspaper’s editors, the “height of journalistic irresponsibility” for “peddling the lie and poison” that the DAP wants to establish a republic.

Awang Selamat had written that Teo Nie Ching’s (DAP-Serdang) defence of her visit to a mosque in her constituency being in line with her party’s “Malaysian Malaysia” ideology implied the objective of creating a republic.

“Rejecting an Islamic state but being so passionate to exploit the mosque for her political agenda... Malaysian Malaysia is a concept for the purpose of creating a republic while hiding behind democracy and equality,” he wrote yesterday.

But Lim (picture), referring to the DAP’s policy resolutions, whether on its on own or as part of Pakatan Rakyat, or previous opposition alliances such as Barisan Alternative (1999) and Gagasan Rakyat (1990) has repeatedly declared its commitment to the constitution, including the system of constitutional monarchy.

The Ipoh Timur MP said that Utusan Malaysia’s irresponsible journalism was treasonous to the nation as it incited disunity and hatred.

He added that the newspaper’s behaviour made a mockery of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia concept that embraces Malaysia’s diversity by building mutual respect and acceptance.

He pointed out that the 1 Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Roadmap released in January last year advocated the promotion of “an all-inclusive 1 Malaysia media” and warned of the danger of greater national divisions and disunity when “some writers abuse the greater freedom of expression now available to use terms and feelings that are racist or inflammatory in nature and tone”.

But the veteran politician claimed that Utusan Malaysia was instead, “a daily reminder of the hollowness and hypocrisy of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia concept as the Umno newspaper continues to peddle lies and poison to incite strife and hatred in Malaysia’s plural society.”