Kit Siang orders lawyers to act against Annuar’s May 13 claim

 

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has instructed his lawyers to take action against the former minister Annuar Musa, after the latter linked him to the deadly racial riots of May 13, 1969.

He chided Annuar, adding the latter “has joined PAS and the first thing he has done is to emulate PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to make wild, preposterous and unsubstantiated allegations”.

Lim’s (above, right) denunciation came after Annuar’s speech on Wednesday night in Bachok, Kelantan, claiming that DAP had a “significant stake” in the riot and was still “fanning the flames for bumiputera and non-bumiputera issues” in Kota Kinabalu even as the killings took place in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

In making the allegation, Annuar cited a book that purportedly compiled Lim’s speeches.However, Lim said the book does not exist.

“There is no such book. It is a figment of Annuar’s imagination. I have instructed my lawyers to institute action to clear my name,” he said in a statement today.

Lim said PAS’ use of disinformation and hate speech show that the Islamist party rejects Malaysia’s nation-building principles as laid out in the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara.

Lim reiterated that he was not involved in the riots, as he was contesting the Bandar Melaka seat in Malacca at the time before flying to Kota Kinabalu to help independent candidates with their campaigning, as polling day for Sabah and Sarawak was held later.

“Annuar did not know, but the police and Special Branch at the time knew.

“And Annuar did know that in my first parliamentary speech in February 1971, I called for Commission of Inquiry to ‘learn the lessons of May 13 racial riots and the 21 months of National Operations Council rule, and point the solution to a united, just and equal Malaysia’.

“In my speech, I also wanted ‘to find out the cause of the May 13 racial riots’ and make recommendations as to how to prevent a recurrence of the riots and arrest racial polarisation in Malaysia,” he added.

In addition, Lim expressed bemusement at being accused of being a communist.

Describing the allegation as “strange”, the former MP pointed out that the communists had boycotted the 1969 general election and had wanted him to lose the Bandar Melaka contest. - Mkini