Lim: DAP not ‘Chinese party’, not after ‘Chinese-majority' Johor seats

DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang has refuted claims that his party is playing the race card in its expression of interest for “one of three” parliamentary seats in the city of Johor Baru – Johor Baru, Pasir Gudang and Tebrau.

Lim came under fire yesterday from Tebrau PKR chief Steven Choong, who claimed DAP had done little work in the constituency, and questioned if Chinese-majority seats had to be given to DAP by virtue of it being a “Chinese-majority party.”

PKR had contested against BN in all three constituencies in 2013 and lost.

“The answer is a triple negative – ‘no’ to (the claim that) DAP should get a Chinese-majority seat ‘by virtue of being a Chinese party’. ‘No’ to DAP being a Chinese party.

"And ‘no’ to (the claim that) any one of the three parliamentary seats in Johor Baru are Chinese-majority seats,” said the DAP stalwart in a statement today.

He cited a racial-breakdown of voters during the 13th general election, that showed Malays were the majority in all three constituencies.

Lim added that while it was understandable if such allegations were made against DAP by Umno or BN, “it should not come from any (party) from the Pakatan Harapan quarter.”

“However, in present circumstances, I am prepared to overlook such lapses,” he said.

He previously said that BN's majority in the three seats had been steadily declining, presenting an opportunity for Harapan.

This is despite Johor Baru being one of the most “difficult” seats to wrest from BN, being only state capital in the country run by the ruling coalition.

Lim reiterated that Harapan would only need a 10 percent swing in the Malay vote and a five percent swing in the Chinese vote to win the Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Perak state governments, retain control over states it already controlled, and take over the Federal Government.

He also listed 36 of the 56 Johor state assembly seats that could be won by Harapan.

Despite his public announcements of DAP’s intentions in Johor, Lim maintained that it was up to the Harapan leadership to make all final decisions on seat allocations. - Mkini