GEORGE TOWN, Dec 17 — Lim Guan Eng told MCA leaders today to stop using his name as campaign fodder in the lead-up to their party polls this weekend.
The Penang chief minister, who was responding to recent criticisms by MCA presidential candidate Gan Ping Sieu, likened the polls to a “Korean drama” and told his political foes that he had no interest to star in it.
“I am not interested to be in your Korean drama MCA party elections so leave me out of it,” Lim said in a press conference at his office today.
The DAP secretary-general went on to accuse MCA and its Barisan Nasional (BN) partner Umno of engaging in “politics of hatred” by using race to discriminate against people.
Gan, the incumbent MCA vice-president who is gunning for the president’s post, had yesterday lashed out at Lim for allegedly supporting a restaurant’s move to ban MCA members in party uniform.
The MCA party presidential hopeful had reportedly said it was unbecoming for a chief minister to behave in such a manner, adding that it would only create political divide and hatred.
“I had lunch at the restaurant in Kepong and MCA claimed I am preaching politics of hate because of that,” Lim said.
He said he neither agreed nor disagreed with the restaurant’s move to ban MCA members in party uniform but respected the owner’s right to freedom of expression.
“I merely said he had the freedom to choose, like all Malaysian voters, and he has not harmed another person so I respect his freedom of choice,” he said.
The Bagan MP insisted that this should not be labelled as politics of hatred.
“MCA always talk about representing one race, the Chinese, so they shouldn’t be talking about politics of hatred when they are practising it,” he added.
