KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The DAP’s Lim Kit Siang is upset at “defamatory” claims linking him and his son Lim Guan Eng to the Illuminati, a secret society that is said to aim at setting up a new world order.

Describing the claim as “downright baseless, mischievous and defamatory”, Lim rubbished the “Illuminati” allegation that had also sought to paint him as the cousin of Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew — despite the two politicians sharing different surnames.

In his statement today, Lim cited the “falsehood” written in Bahasa Malaysia, having expressed his shock at the “lies” being spread in the political campaigns for the Sungai Limau by-election.

“Malah bukan secara kebetulan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang sekarang adalah salah seorang ahli keluarga Illuminati... Ada 13 keluarga yang membawa bloodline Illuminati , dan salah satu darinya ialah keluarga Li. Di Malaysia panggilan Li di tukar kepada Lim seperti Lim Kit Siang dan Lim Guan Eng dan di Singapura Lee. Ramai yang tak tahu Lee Kuan Yew serta Lim Kit Siang adalah sepupu,” the Gelang Patah MP quoted in his statement, without naming the author or source of the allegation.

[Translation: “And it’s not a coincidence that the current chief minister of Penang is one of the members of the Illuminati family...There are 13 families that carry the Illuminati bloodline, and one of them is the Li family. In Malaysia, the name Li is changed to Lim like Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng and in Singapore, Lee. Many do not know that Lee Kuan Yew and Lim Kit Siang are cousins.”]

Protesting the claim, Lim said: “Not a single Chinese in Malaysia will believe such rubbish as above, suggesting that “Li” is interchangeable with “Lim” in Malaysia and “Lee” in Singapore, but there may be ignorant non-Chinese who may be misled.”

Lim was criticising the “lies” allegedly used by the Barisan Nasional (BN) when campaigning for the by-election, which purportedly include claims of DAP’s intention to form a Christian state and abolish the constitutional monarchy system.

Other “lies” which were used portrayed DAP as being anti-Islam and anti-Malay, Lim said.

In the same statement, Lim also attacked MCA for allegedly lying that only 10 per cent of the Chinese voters in Sungai Limau voted for BN in the May elections this year, claiming that this would enable to say that Chinese support had swung back to BN when it gives a higher figure.

Lim then challenged BN to join federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in condemning “lies” in order to have clean election campaigns.

“There are also many other lies and falsehoods, but the campaign of slander and defamation in the course of the Sungai Limau by-election is not directed just against DAP leaders but all PR leaders as PAS and PKR leaders are also targeted.

“Are Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders prepared to join PR leaders to openly condemn such lies and falsehoods in election or by-election campaigns, just as Pakatan Rakyat leaders from PAS, PKR and DAP are prepared to join BN leaders to condemn all election campaign lies, falsehoods and character-assassination to introduce a new era of clean, honest and decent political electioneering?” he asked.

The by-election in Sungai Limau, Kedah has been marred by controversy as both sides accused the other of dirty political tricks in order to gain voter support.

A total of 27,222 voters here will have until 5pm to cast their votes today in an election that observers have described as a litmus test for the leadership of newly-installed Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and PAS’s waning influence in the rice bowl state of Kedah.

As at 2pm, a total of 18,843 or 69.22 per cent of voters had cast their ballots for the polls, the nation’s second by-election since Election 2013 on May 5.

Today’s poll results will determine if PAS’s Mohd Azam Abdul Samat or BN’s Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim will take on the state seat of Sungai Limau.