Kit Siang: Muhyiddin's statement over 1Malaysia logo ban 'ridiculous'

DAP national advisor Lim Kit Siang said Friday it was "downright ridiculous" for Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to assert that the Selangor state government's move to ban the 1Malaysia logo was due to its fear over the concept.

The Ipoh Timur MP also urged the Selangor state executive council to review its decision to ban the 1Malaysia logo from advertisement billboards, in order to prove that Muhyiddin was wrong in his claims that the Opposition is afraid of the concept created by Najib's administration.

It was reported Wednesday that the Selangor state government has banned advertisements on billboards that feature the 1Malaysia logo, which it claimed was a Barisan Nasional (BN) political symbol and therefore, contravenes local by-laws using political symbols in billboard advertisements.

Muhyiddin had responded to the 1Malaysia logo ban which was made known by Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu, saying that: "“They (Selangor government) are afraid of the 1Malaysia logo which has become iconic to the people. The 1Malaysia vision has noble intentions, one of which is to unite the people regardless of their political leanings.”

However, Lim said in his statement Friday that: "Muhyiddin’s statement is downright ridiculous as he himself has declared that he does not fully endorse the 1Malaysia concept, whose official objective is the creation of a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, geography and socio-economic grouping second."

He pointed out that in March this year, Muhyiddin had declared himself "Malay first and Malaysian second" when Lim challenged all Ministers in Parliament to demonstrate their commitment to the 1Malaysia concept by identifying themselves as Malaysian first and race, religion or region second.

Lim also cited other examples which he claimed Muhyiddin had spoken totally inimical to the 1Malaysia concept, including the DPM's defensive stance over the National Civic Bureau (BTN) which has been criticized for being racist.

Lim also said: "His (Muhyiddin's) attempt to mitigate the Nasir Safar outrage claiming that it could have been 'a slip of the tongue' when Najib’s senior political aide labelled Indians and Chinese in Malaysia as 'pendatang', alleging that the Chinese came as beggars and the Chinese women as 'prostitutes.'"

"His (Muhyiddin) hamfisted attempt to aid and abet the inflammatory and incendiary campaign by Umno-controlled media like Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, government television and radio stations, playing the race and religious cards to viciously and falsely paint Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Pakatan Rakyat Penang State Government as “anti-Malay” and “anti-Islam,” he added.

"This is why Muhyiddin’s claim that Pakatan Rakyat is “running scared” of the 1Malaysia concept is so ridiculous, when the concept does not even get his full support," Lim said.

Saying that the number of "reckless rhetoric of racist extremism and religious bigotry which attack the very basis of the 1Malaysia slogan" has increased recently, Lim said the concept itself was an example of Najib's administration failure to "walk the talk".

"The 1Malaysia slogan is in fact the best example of the wide and increasing gulf between words and deeds of the Najib administration – its utter failure to walk the talk of the Najib signature policies whether 1Malaysia, Government Transformation Programme, New Economic Model or Economic Transformation Programme," the DAP veteran said - MM.