DAP leader Lim Guan Eng today slammed MCA president Liow Tiong Lai for saying the opposition party did not represent the Chinese.

The DAP secretary-general said his party represented all Malaysians, which included the ethnic Chinese.

“Liow should be smarter and not tell lies that can be exposed. He claimed DAP does not represent the Chinese community. 

“DAP aspire to represent all Malaysians from the peninsula to Sarawak and Sabah regardless of their race and religion. 

“Is Liow correct to say MCA represents the Chinese when 80% of the Chinese electorate rejected the party in the 2013 general election?” Lim said in a statement today.

Both parties contest in predominantly Chinese seats. In the last polls, MCA only managed to win seven parliamentary seats and 11 state seats while DAP won 36 parliamentary seats and 100 state seats.

The issue on which party represented the Chinese popped up after Umno supreme council member and tourism minister Nazri Abdul Aziz remarked MCA had failed to represent the Chinese.

“Looking at the results of the 2013 general election, you can easily deduce the voice of the Chinese in Malaysia is DAP and the boss is ‘tokong’ (deity) Lim Guan Eng.

“That is why I work with him because he is the voice of the Chinese,” Nazri was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini last week.

Liow responded, by saying MCA remained the voice of the Chinese.

“I think it is crucial Nazri should not divert the attention and attack MCA … there is no point whether MCA is not your friend or MCA is representing the Chinese or not.

“We know how to behave. We know how to be responsible. We know how to represent the Chinese community, we will do our part to ensure Barisan Nasional will be strong,” he said.

Nazri and MCA leaders have been engaging in a public spat over the former’s remarks against Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok. 

He had recently called Kuok a “pondan” (effiminate) and challenged him to give up his Malaysian citizenship after blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin accused the latter of funding DAP in attempts to rid the Barisan Nasional federal government and install a Chinese government. 

The tycoon denied the allegations, including Raja Petra’s claim that he also funded The Malaysian Insight, and was now reserving the right to sue the blogger. 

Short of apologising over his remark against the 94-year-old billionaire, Nazri only said he welcomed the tycoon’s clarification. MCA has been demanding for Nazri to apologise for the insult.

Lim, who is Bagan MP, also commented on Liow reprimanding DAP for not “scolding” Nazri for his attack against Kuok. 

“Again this is false. DAP leaders have condemned both Umno and its leaders, including Nazri,” he said, citing a statement he had issued last Friday.

He said the statement was not published by the BN media.

“Liow is now hammering me for not condemning Umno when his own media did not print it.

“Let me reiterate DAP condemns not only Umno minister Nazri but  the entire Umno, for their fake news, dishonesty and vitriolic attacks against Kuok,” he said. – March 4, 2018.