Don’t forget DAP’s role in Dr M’s resignation, Zuraida tells Loke

 

Former PKR MP Zuraida Kamaruddin accused DAP of ‘truly insincere’ intentions when in government following PH’s win in the 2018 general election.

PETALING JAYA: Zuraida Kamaruddin has hit out at DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook for dismissing Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s claim that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had been “adhering to DAP’s manifesto” because of the party’s influence over the government.

Zuraida, who is the deputy president of the NGO Muafakat Nasional, said Loke and other DAP MPs should not forget the role they played which led to Mahathir stepping down as prime minister after Pakatan Harapan’s 22 months in government.

“Perhaps Loke has forgotten that DAP was one of those who pressured Mahathir into relinquishing the prime minister’s post,” she said in a statement today.

Zuraida also said that in May 2019, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang had declared in a Sandakan by-election campaign speech that he would put his political career on the line if Mahathir did not fulfil his promise to hand over the top post to the PKR president.

She claimed that this demonstrated DAP’s “truly insincere” intentions in the PH government following the coalition’s big win in the 2018 general election.

“(Such a) statement from DAP’s most influential leader at that time had caused discomfort among many parties within the PH coalition and raised doubts about DAP’s true intentions,” she said.

The former PKR MP added that if pressure had not been exerted on Mahathir at that time, he would not have resigned or hatched plans to do so.

Yesterday, Loke reminded Mahathir that he had the support of 42 MPs from DAP when he led the PH government from 2018 to 2020.

“But did DAP ever withdraw our support from him or threaten to do so?” said Loke, who served as the transport minister in Mahathir’s Cabinet.

Loke rejected Mahathir’s allegation earlier that DAP wanted to make Malaysia a multi-ethnic country and replace Islam as the official religion with a secular state, describing it as a “baseless and irresponsible accusation”.

He said DAP would defend the basic principles enshrined under the constitution, including Islam’s position as the religion of the federation.

Mahathir, in an online posting earlier, claimed that promotion of a multi-ethnic country went against the constitution as Malaysia was never described as a multi-ethnic nation in the Federal Constitution. - FMT