KUALA LUMPUR – As a party in government, and one with former nemesis Umno at that, the things DAP politicians say and do have come in for greater scrutiny.
Even if well intentioned or idealistic in the name of wanting a fairer, more democratic Malaysia, DAP has found it hard to escape accusations that it is playing up issues involving the 3Rs – race, religion and royalty.
In his New Year’s message, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke acknowledged that the unity government’s most daunting challenge was managing the differences among its 19 component parties.
But he has his hands full too, on occasion, managing differences within DAP itself.
In the past year of being in the unity government, the party took the spotlight when some of its politicians spoke their minds and were accused of hurting sensitives because their statements involved 3R matters.
Ngeh Koo Ham
The year 2023 ended with the furore over the suggestion from Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham – the Beruas MP and a Perak DAP warlord – that non-Muslims be made members of a special government committee on shariah laws.
Ngeh was slammed not only by opposition figures, but also by allies from Umno, making it an awkward moment for the unity government bedfellows.
The offence he allegedly caused was to imply that non-Muslims could interfere in Islamic affairs and that the guardians of Islam, namely the Malay rulers in each state, were supposedly incompetent in deciding such matters.
DAP chief Loke had to step in by calling Ngeh’s proposal a “mistake”.
Ngeh then issued an apology, saying he was not aware that the special committee was headed by the sultan of Selangor.
Tan Kok Wai
During the Kuala Lumpur DAP convention last month, Cheras MP and the capital’s DAP chief Tan Kok Wai called for a return of local council elections, starting in Kuala Lumpur. He said these polls would ensure better services for ratepayers, and ensure democracy and people-centric governance.
This was not well received by Umno and PAS. The Umno Supreme Council’s Datuk Lokman Noor Adam said the Malay party would never agree to it, while Federal Territories PAS Youth has lodged a police report against Tan.
Lokman even called Tan’s suggestion a form of sabotage from within DAP against Loke’s leadership and efforts to keep unity government parties together.
This is because local council elections is a sensitive issue for Malay parties, which feel that polls in urban areas, being largely populated by non-Malays in some parts, will cause Malays to lose power.
DAP has previously been supportive of restoring local council elections, which were practised in the country until 1965 – after which mayors and council presidents, as well as councillors, were appointed.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming subsequently said restoring the third vote was not the government’s priority at the moment.
Lim Kit Siang
DAP stalwart Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang was accused of provocation by speaking about the chances of Malaysia having a non-Malay prime minister.
He said this when speaking to Malaysian students in the United Kingdom in November, but had also written similar in a blog post in August.
Lim, who had his statement taken by police as part of sedition investigations, said it took the United States 230 years to elect a Black American president. He also said while he hoped it would not take Malaysia as long to have a non-Malay prime minister, he also felt that this would not happen “in the next 100 years”.
Lim said he had no intention of being provocative, and defended his remarks as facts stated in the federal constitution.
He said his remarks had been exploited by irresponsible quarters to instil fear and insecurity in the Malays about the future.
Howard Lee
In September, Ipoh Timor MP Howard Lee was accused of insulting Islam when he used a Quranic verse, verse 59 of Surah an-Nisa, in a video.
Perak NGO Jalinan Bersatu Sahabat lodged a police report, seeking an investigation that, as a non-Muslim, Lee had insulted Islam by using a sacred verse.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki also advised Lee to apologise, which he did.
He initially defended his actions, clarifying that he had cited and not “interpreted” the verse when speaking about supporting the unity government. Lee also said he sought guidance from religious scholars and ustaz in using the verse.
Lee met with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar in October, who said the DAP man would be more cautious in future.
Lim Guan Eng
DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng was also accused of touching on the 3Rs on July 7, for allegedly saying that a “green wave” in Penang during the state elections the following month would lead to the destruction of temples in the state.
Lim was quoted by a Chinese daily, and subsequently by another English news portal, before police began an investigation after receiving reports against him.
However, Lim came forward to say the incident was fake, as the English portal had wrongly translated his speech – which was delivered in Mandarin.
He explained that he did not mention that temples would be demolished under PAS rule, but that he was only referring to a past incident in 2020 that involved one Hindu temple in Kedah.
Nga Kor Ming
Certain episodes were used as fodder by the opposition party PAS, such as when Nga spoke against the fine imposed by the Kota Bharu Municipal Council on a non-Muslim woman for wearing shorts in her own shop.
The incident in July saw Nga commenting on it as local councils come under his ministry’s jurisdiction. He said local councils should not infringe on people’s constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.
However, then PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin used it to allege that DAP had “desperately” used 3R issues to further Islamophobic sentiments.
Youth and Sports Ministry’s Jom Ziarah programme
Although run by Impact Malaysia, an organisation managed by Muslims, and despite being aimed at instilling better understanding of different religions, the programme that has Malaysian youths visit different houses of worship was met with accusations of Christian evangelism.
As it was a programme under the Youth and Sports Ministry, its minister Hannah Yeoh, who is Segambut MP and a DAP central executive committee member, had to clarify in the Dewan Rakyat on March 14 that the church visit did not include any Muslim participants.
She said Perikatan Nasional had used the incident to slander her and lodged a police report.
Yeoh added that her ministry was discontinuing the programme as it clashed with similar schemes under other ministries. – January 2, 2024