KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — DAP’s Lim Kit Siang today accused Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of attempting to foment racial strife at a time the country was grappling with the tragedy of missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370.

Lim said that the former prime minister was continuing to make “baseless accusations” that the DAP desired Chinese political and economic dominance in Malaysia.

“Now, Mahathir is back to his old trick and trying his worst to disseminate lies and communal poison to aid the MCA candidate in the Kajang by-election, completely insensitive about the national and international tragedy of the missing MH370 entering its ninth day,” said Lim in a statement today, referring to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun for the by-election next Sunday.

“Would the MCA national leadership dare to speak up and ask Mahathir to stop his lies and communal poison which can only aggravate the racial and religious polarisation in the country?” questioned the Gelang Patah MP.

Dr Mahathir wrote on his blog last Thursday that Malaysia could become like Singapore if the Chinese community here continues to support DAP’s alleged dream of complete political and economic dominance in Malaysia.

The former prime minister claimed that nothing good will come of Chinese dominance in politics or the economy — as has happened in neighbouring Singapore — as Malaysia is a multi-cultural society mostly made up of the Malays.

“I would advise Mahathir to be more sensitive and have greater regard to his role as having been prime minister of Malaysia for over two decades and to stop spreading lies and pumping communal poison trying to pit race against race and religion against religion for his selfish and petty political agenda and calculations,” said Lim in response.

The Boeing 777 jetliner bound for Beijing with 239 onboard is still missing after it stopped contacting ground control in the early hours of March 8, despite a massive search currently undertaken by 14 countries.