Political rivals twisted my speech, says Muhyiddin

 

Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said there was a video clip about a foreign religious group who appeared to be praying for an opposition victory.

PPETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, caught in a row over purported efforts to “Christianise” the country, has accused political opponents of having twisting a ceramah speech and circulating an edited video “specifically to tarnish my image and to create a false narrative”.

In a statement this evening, Muhyiddin repudiated a video clip circulating on TikTok which he said had been edited to 1 minute and 35 seconds from a speech that was about 55 minutes long.

Muhyiddin has come under fire from DAP and PKR leaders over his purported statements, that PH was involved in an agenda to “Christianise” the country, and that a group of Jews wanted Pakatan Harapan (PH) to win the general election.

However, he said: “For the record, I was commenting on a video clip that was circulating during this election period where a foreign religious group specifically appeared to be praying for the government to fall in the hands of the opposition.”

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Muhyiddin said that in his speech he had reiterated PN’s commitment to fairness and equality.

“My whole speech was to promote stability, fairness to all races and religions, and to uphold the rule of law,” he said.

Muhyiddin, a former prime minister, said he had specifically and unequivocally spoken about the need for political stability and the need to avoid corruption

He had also spoken on the need for DAP to show restraint in its demands and to respect the rights of all, including the special rights of the Malays and the Malay rulers.

“In fact, at the 48-minute mark of the speech, I stated the intention of PN to implement the Shared Prosperity Vision so that no one would be left behind. I said: ‘Everybody must prosper. The Malays, Chinese and Indians must share together. So that our nation’s prosperity can be shared by people of all races’,” he said.

In the video clip, which has been widely circulated, Muhyiddin purportedly claimed that a group of Jews wanted PH to win the election, and alleged that the coalition was working with Jews and Christians to colonise the country.

He also purportedly claimed that there were Malays attending church services in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya on Sundays.

Earlier today, PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli accused Muhyiddin of inciting racial and religious tensions. He said PKR plans to file an election petition against Muhyiddin, which could result in him having to vacate his Pagoh seat even if he manages to be re-elected tomorrow. - FMT