KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak needs to tell Umno leaders and party mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia to stop playing up racially-tinged allegations against the DAP in the interest of national unity, DAP lawmaker Teresa Kok said today.
Kok, who recently became the target of angry tirades and police reports by Umno leaders and the Malay daily over her controversial Chinese New Year video, said that they are “playing with fire” by fabricating lies against DAP.
“In today’s Mingguan Malaysia, Awang Selamat in his column called on the authorities to take swift action against me for my video, saying if not, a wrong signal will be sent to the Malaysians that wantonly insulting the country and races is allowed,” she said referring to the regular column, which represents the paper’s collective editorial voice.
“Awang Selamat’s remarks share a similarity with those who have accused me of insulting the country, race, religion or royalty or our security forces, that is, they make allegations without providing any evidence,” she added in a statement.
Mingguan Malaysia, Utusan’s Sunday edition, said in its Awang Selamat column today that the Home Ministry and the Attorney-General should take swift action against Kok over her video, which it described as “a provocation that is very dangerous”.
The Umno-owned broadsheet warned that anything less than immediately charging the Seputeh MP in court could end up sparking racial extremism.
Kok today said she was not surprised by the position taken by Utusan, but took exception to a string of tweets by Housing, Local Government and Urban Wellbeing Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan indicating that she and her party are anti-Malay and anti-Islam.
Listing out his tweets, Kok said Abdul Rahman as a minister is stoking racial and religious tensions by throwing wild allegations against her and DAP.
Among Abdul Rahman’s tweets listed in Kok’s statement include; “Maybe the DAP don’t understand. To Malays, insulting the Agong and Islam is more painful and degrading than a slap”, and “Since 2008, the DAP has relentlessly attacked the position of Malays and Islam. When there is a reaction from Malays, the DAP acts as if they are victims. Crazy!”
“Abdul Rahman has created the most dangerous and the biggest lies against the DAP. Is he trying to incite the Malays, Muslims and the royalty against DAP?
“DAP has been in existence since 1966 and our struggle is on open record is for all to see. DAP‘s struggle is for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion. We are not anti-royalty,” she said.
Kok said regardless whether Abdul Rahman is trying to divert attention from the rising cost of living or any other issue, such comments are uncalled for and should not have been made.
“He is playing with fire and is definitely another minister who is unfit and should resign or be expelled from the Cabinet,” she said, in reference to an earlier statement she made on Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Yesterday, Ahmad Zahid said it was unnecessary for the police to probe an offer of a cash reward by a group of NGOs for anyone who slaps Kok over her video, prompting Kok to call him “unfit” to be a minister.
