Kit Siang sees no humour in April Fool’s offensive against him

An April Fool’s offensive by the mainstream media against Lim Kit Siang has not left the DAP parliamentary leader amused.

Lim said he first thought it was an April Fool’s joke when he saw a report in the New Straits Times today titled: ‘Kit Siang pretending to be elected leader’ with a second headline reading ‘Only those who are blind and naive cannot see that the DAP adviser is a Dictator’.

“I realised that this was not a April Fool’s Day prank, however, when the other Umno/BN-owned and controlled mainstream media also carried the same story.

“Clearly, this was deadly serious business - part of a massive propaganda psy-war against me,” he said in a statement today.

Similar reports, also quoting Umno supreme council member Hamzah Zainuddin, were carried by Utusan Malaysia titled: ‘Kit Siang a dictator?’ and by Berita Harian with the title ‘Kit Siang a dictatorial leader: Hamzah’.

Lim said the coordinated attack reminded him of BN strategic communications director Abdul Rahman Dahlan, whom he accused of trying to demonise him.

Rahman had previously claimed that DAP leaders feared telling Lim to resign.

“If Rahman wants to talk about ‘resignation’ or ‘retirement’, shouldn’t Abdul Rahman resign as BN strategic communications director for being unable to address the most ‘strategic’ problem facing the government, unless the office of BN strategic communications director is indeed to concoct and spread ‘Strategic Lies’,” said Lim.

Lim claimed Rahman made a “disastrous” debut as BN strategic communications director when he put former Sarawak journalist Lester Melanyi in the spotlight to accuse whistleblower portal Sarawak Report of a conspiracy against the government.

Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown denied the allegation.

It was later revealed that Lester was a bankrupt but he denied making the allegation for financial reasons.

Lim claimed the episode was a “strategic failure” on Abdul Rahman’s part.

“Can Rahman reveal where is Lester Melanyi now?

“It would make a good April Fool’s joke if Lester Melanyi could appear before Abdul Rahman today,” he said. -Mkini