New film on May 13 due out in Sept: Conspiracy to demonize DAP, Pakatan?

For the first time in the nation’s electoral history, Malaysian voters will be going to the ballot boxes knowing that they have the power to effect a democratic change of government at the federal level.

Will they dare to do so and will they be allowed to do so.

Already forces are at work to disseminate lies to create fear, hatred and distrust, with UMNO/BN raising an army of 10,000 cybertroopers to stoke racial tensions with dishonst and unethical “spins” and downright falsehoods.

I have just seen the latest issue (Mei 2012) of Selangor Kita, clearly a BN/UMNO publication although it does not carry the identity of either the printer or publisher.

Blazoned on page 2 in a special box are the words:

“KOMEN LIM KIT SIANG TERHADAP AGONG KITA

“SUMBER DAP: Lim Kit Siang dalam komennya berkata Raja-Raja Melayu semuanya Lanun. Semuanya Perompak. Kata Lim Kit Siang lagi, buat apa hormat Agong, buat habis wang ringgit cukai rakyat sahaja beri pada Raja-Raja Melayu.”

These are downright lies and falsehoods as I have never made any such comments.

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.

Advised not to return to KL

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 staggered for two weeks after that in Peninsular Malaysia.

I was in fact advised not to return to Kuala Lumpur after I was evicted from Sabah by the then Sabah Chief Minister, Tun Mustapha because of my public rally speech in Kota Kinabalu.

On the morning of 14th May 1969, a team of Immigration officials came to my hotel in KK to serve the eviction order on me. But I did not leave Kota Kinabalu until 15th May as I missed the outgoing flight on 14th May. As there was no connecting flight to Subang as curfew had been imposed, I stayed in Devan Nair’s house in Singapore for two nights.

I kept in contact with party leaders and my family by phone and they advised me not to return as I was on the Internal Security Act “black list” and would be arrested.

I told party leaders that not returning to Malaysia was not an option for me, that I would be failing in my duty as a just elected MP if I did not return to the country to be with the people at their hour of need.

On 17th May, 1969, I took the flight back from Singapore and was arrested at the Subang Airport, starting my first ISA detention.

Would I have returned to Malaysia if I had caused the May 13 riots?

In fact, during my first and second ISA detentions in 1969 and 1987 respectively, I was never asked any question about my whereabouts on May 10, 11, 12 and 13 of 1969 during the intense Special Branch interrogations, for the simple reason that the police knew that I was never in Kuala Lumpur.

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.

In actual fact, 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 levelled against an eight-year-old child!

New film on May 13

I understand that there is a new film on May 13 which would be making its premiere in the various theatres on Sept. 13. Is this part of the diabolical conspiracy and campaign to demonise the DAP and the Pakatan Rakyat to plant racial distrust, fear and hatred among Malaysians in the run-up to the 13th General Election.

I will not jump to any conclusions but I would like to know whether it is possible to have a private screening of the film before its premiere so that we know where we stand.

Be that as it may, the critical test for the Malaysian people in the next general election is whether Malaysian democracy and Malaysian nation building have matured sufficiently to debunk all these dirty politics and ensure that Malaysians would not succumb to the irresponsible and diabolical politics of fear and lies.

Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, should stand up as Malaysian patriots who are prepared to cast their vote because of their love of the country and for the sake of their children and children”s children in a common national endeavour to use the democratic process to bring about peaceful political changes.

Lim Kit Siang is the DAP adviser and MP for Ipoh Timur