FEDERAL minister Lim Guan Eng has distanced Putrajaya from a purported threat by a Pakatan Harapan senator who told Orang Asli village chiefs in Cameron Highlands that they would lose their posts and salaries if they supported the opposition.

Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, said Bob Manolan’s remarks were inconsistent with the government’s stand.

He said salaries and wages should not be used as political leverage in elections.

“Salaries are not something anyone should mess around with, because they are what civil servants use to feed their families.

“In this regard, the commitment of the federal government should never be in question.

“One remark doesn’t represent the government,” said the finance minister at the Cameron Highlands nomination centre today.

He said that no threats, coercion, or intimidation should be used against voters.

Manolan, a PKR senator, was reported saying at a dialogue with Orang Asli village chiefs in the constituency yesterday that they risked losing their posts and salaries paid by the federal government if they backed BN in the Cameron Highlands by-election.

The senator, however, denied this, saying he had only told village chiefs who were also Umno division heads to choose one post and resign from the other, as holding both was inconsistent.

Lim said that civil servants should not breach the General Orders while supporting or running political activities.

“But as long as they do not breach the General Orders, their salaries should not be questioned,” said the DAP secretary-general.

Lim said the government was duty-bound to pay salaries, regardless of political affiliations.

He said even though the PAS-led Kelantan government had criticised him, Putrajaya still provided funding to ensure state civil service salaries were paid.

“When Kelantan could not afford to pay salaries amounting to RM32.5 million last year, the government stepped in to approve a payment to them,” said Lim.

Despite Manolan’s denial, Malaysiakini, which first reported his remarks, has uploaded an audio recording of his speech, in which he is heard saying “tak support, kita buang (no support, we’ll get rid of them)”, as well as “any batin who doesn’t support the government, we won’t pay their salary”.

The Cameron Highlands seat was vacated after MIC’s C. Sivarraajh’s win last May was nullified by the Election Court in November. Sivarraajh was found to have bribed voters in the lead-up to the elections.

Campaigning will last 14 days until polling on January 26. – January 12, 2019.