Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has another 24 hours to apologise for his “chauvinistic” Gelang Patah blog entry or face a legal suit for libel, the DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said today.
The veteran opposition leader accused the former prime minister of “character assassination” by resorting to “lies” and “defamatory” statements through the latter’s latest blog entry two days ago, titled “Gelang Patah”.
“There has only been silence on Mahathir’s part and I am giving him another 24 hours to vindicate himself, produce proof to substantiate his allegations against me or behave as a responsible ‘elder statesman’ and retract and apologise for his defamatory blog against me,” Lim said in a statement.
The 72-year-old is heading the DAP’s charge against the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition on Umno’s home turf and has persistently faced Dr Mahathir’s fire since announcing his bid for the Gelang Patah federal seat.
The Johor-born Lim, who has been busy touring his home state, also said inflammatory leaftlets by unknown agents had been surreptitiously distributed among Malay voters painting him as the provocateur to the May 13, 1969 racial riots.
He denounced the allegations as lies that were being repeatedly raised to attack his credibility and integrity, saying the police had full records of his movements during that darkest period in the country’s history, which put him in the clear.
He attributed the perpetration of the claims as Umno propaganda in the run-up to the May 5 polls and singled out Dr Mahathir for accountability.
“This is what Mahathir had done with his blog on ‘Gelang Patah’ making the most chauvinist and scurrilous attacks on me, accusing me of wanting to cause a racial confrontation coming to Gelang Patah,” Lim said.
Some 13.3 million Malaysians will vote for 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats on May 5.
The fight for Johor, the BN’s southern vote bank, is touted to be the arena for Malaysia’s most dramatic battle in Election 2013.
Malays make up some 53 per cent of the state population, followed by the Chinese at 39 per cent and Indians at seven oer cent.
Lim’s decision to leave the Ipoh Timor seat he won by a mighty majority in Election 2008 for Gelang Patah has fired up Pakatan Rakyat’s spirits and strengthened the opposition pact’s resolve to take the southern state.
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Mahathir has several options:
1. Keep quite..usually he won't unless he really is lost for word.
2. Admit wrong and apologies. This is not Mahathir. The true Mahathir is never wrong.
3. Respond to LKS... let's wait and see. When he does, please don't expect the answer to be sensible.
Mahatir is nothing but ranting and raving undiluted racist. LKS , sue the pants off this ignoramus.!
Since the aithorities does not want to take any action against TDM, high time LKS do it in the civil courts. Respect is to be earned but this sly old fox does not deserve any respect. I spit on his gravestone.
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