GEORGE TOWN, June 15 ― DAP is not associated with illegal gambling kingpins or syndicates, Lim Guan Eng said today when insisting his party was financed through ticket sales at fundraisers.
The DAP secretary-general also denied Penang Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman's claim that the party organises such fund-raising dinners every night.
“Why is he making these type of lies? We don't organise dinners every night, we may attend dinners every night but these are not organised by DAP, these are by organisations, by temples,” he said.
“This year, as of now, DAP has only organised three dinners so far, and at each dinner, we sell tickets to raise funds,” Lim added before challenging Zainal Abidin to prove his claim.
DAP's accounts are also submitted annually to the Registrar of Societies yearly, he said.
Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow claimed that gambling kingpins would donate to those with power over the authorities if they wanted protection from enforcement.
“We are an Opposition party, we are not the boss to the police or the Home Affairs Ministry. So, if the kingpins want protection, who should they seek out?” he asked.
“These are obviously wild accusations against us as the general election draws near,” he said.
Yesterday, Zainal Abidin demanded that DAP reveal its source of funding while accusing it of holding nightly fundraisers.
He was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's claim that there is a risk of illegal gambling kingpins funding political parties especially for the next general elections.
Zahid, who is also home minister, did not specify any political party but only ordered the Penang police to eradicate illegal gambling activities in the state to stop these “kingpins”.
