Witness: Racist campaign material flooded villages

BERSIH TRIBUNAL The People’s Tribunal today heard that racist materials were circulated in Malay kampungs in a bid to turn them against the local DAP candidate.

DAP’s defeated Labis candidate S Ramakrishnan testified that the material was in the form of a booklet but did not carry the name of the publisher.

“These were found in Malay houses and Malay Kampungs (in Labis),” he told the tribunal, which is set up to scrutinise the disputed 13th general election.

The tribunal’s hearing are being conducted at Empire Hotel in Subang Jaya.

Submitting the booklet as an exhibit, conducting officer Gurdial Singh Nijar (left) said the document had content like: ‘Sapu Melayu, Melayu Sakai, Melayu masuk hutan’ (Sweep the Malays, Malays are backward, Malays enter jungle).

It said Indians could go back to New Delhi, India, Chinese could go back to Beijing, China but Malays would have nowhere to go if they lost Malaysia, said Gurdial.

The booklet also accused the DAP of causing the May 13 race riots, he added.

Furthermore, Gurdial said the booklet also used the statements of DAP leaders against the party, such as DAP chairperson Karpal Singh’s statement that an Islamic state can only be set up after his dead body.

“Some of these are fair game, if Karpal said over his dead body, then people will take advantage.

“But there are within these very racist comments as well which will inflame racial sentiment and put one race against another,” said Gurdial.

Tribunal member Azzat Kamaludin noted that regardless of who was behind the booklet, it was an election violation nonetheless, and a proper authority should be established to act against such material.

‘Red handed vote-buying’

Meanwhile, another witness, Siow Chun Fatt (left), who was a volunteer polling agent, submitted a video to the tribunal of alleged vote buying.

The video showed a man at the porch of a house with BN flags taking down the details of people who were then handed money.

“I believed they were getting money for their votes because their finger were marked with ink and this was on election day,” he said.

Furthermore, Siow said this was done opposite the polling station at Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Daya 2, Johor Baru.

He said a police report was lodged over the matter but no action was taken.