KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — It must have been a tough day in Parliament for Siti Mastura Muhammad, the relatively unknown debutant PAS lawmaker who shot to limelight for claiming DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng is a blood relation of Communist leader Chin Peng.
Earlier this afternoon, the Kepala Batas MP was threatened with a lawsuit by a battle-scarred political leader who has won scores of defamation suits against more formidable opponents.
In the evening, she was forced to endure the wrath of feisty DAP women lawmakers eager for a showdown, upset over her accusations.
And the DAP lawmakers who confronted her couldn’t have asked for better timing.
The Kepala Batas MP was waxing lyrical about the Rukun Negara and unity, as the first-term MP read out her speech that asked the government to create more programmes that “foster unity” during the committee stage debate of Budget 2024 for the Ministry of Unity.
Three DAP lawmakers then stood up to demand Siti Mastura substantiate her accusations against their party leaders — they suggested that it is hypocritical for the PAS leader to discuss unity when she made accusations that are incendiary and divisive.
Chin Peng, the dead leader of the Communist Party of Malaya who hailed from Sitiawan, Perak, is one of the most hated political figures in the country because of decades of anti-communism rhetoric that is often weaponised by right-wing Malay parties like Umno and PAS.
“Please explain your slander and explain it in the context of unity,” said Syerleena Abdul Rashid, DAP for Bukit Bendera.
Siti Mastura ignored her, and when Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul asked if she would agree to give way, the PAS lawmaker just shook her head without uttering a word. During debates, members of the House may intercede only if the debater permits.
But as Siti Mastura proceeded to read her speech, more DAP lawmakers stood up to demand she give way. Teresa Kok of Seputeh said the Kepala Batas MP should at least have the courage to defend her allegations.
“We want her to explain the slander that she made against DAP, including me,” Kok said.
“Come on, Kepala Batas. Don’t you dare to answer? You have an opportunity to do so now, do it,” said Wong Shu Qi, Kluang representative for the DAP.
Siti Mastura again ignored all the MPs and refused to respond, which only seemed to infuriate the DAP lawmakers more. She continued to read her speech louder, drowning the House in a cacophony of shouts and table slams that lasted a few minutes.
The shouting contest ended after the Kepala Batas MP concluded her speech.
Siti Mastura has been given until Thursday to prove her allegations on several DAP leaders’ links to Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew and former Communist Party leader Chin Peng. DAP leaders said they will sue her for defamation if she fails to meet the deadline.
In the video cited by Guan Eng, Siti Mastura in her political speech in Kemaman, Terengganu claimed that Lim’s family are related to Lee and Chin.
Siti Mastura, who is deputy chief of PAS’ women’s wing Muslimat, also claimed in the video that Lim’s wife Betty Chew is related to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming and Bernas MP Ngeh Koo Ham.
