Umno, MCA leaders shell Guan Eng over 'war declaration' faux pas

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has courted flak over his initial media statement that Umno and PAS were "declaring war on non-Muslims."

Although, he issued a correction later to state that the parties were now "targetting non-Muslims and non-Malays", his critics claimed that his earlier remark was racist and seditious.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong accused Lim, who is also finance minister, of adding fuel to fire.

"You are also indirectly asking your opponents to endorse the 'war declaration'," he added.

Wee said Lim should remember PAS and DAP had political pacts before and were part of the Selangor government for two terms.

On the Umno front, Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki (below) said the Umno-PAS cooperation was designed to unite Muslims, not discriminate others.

He is expected to lead a delegation, comprising the Youth wings of PAS, MIC and MCA, to lodge a police report against Lim later.

Asyraf's predecessor Khairy Jamaluddin, on the other hand, offered only two words in response to Lim's outburst: "Nuff (enough) said."

Wanita Umno head Noraini Ahmad accused the DAP leader of not respecting democracy which allowed for freedom of political association, by trying to cause ethnic tensions.

She said Umno has led a multi-ethnic political coalition before and would continue to do so, regardless of its cooperation with PAS.

According to Umno supreme council member Reezal Merican Naina Merican (below), Lim's statement was a "manifestation of DAP's DNA" and a refusal to accept that Malays form the backbone of the country.

"This dangerous view held by Lim is a rejection of the Federal Constitution and the basis of national unity. (Lim) is a 'disease' (infecting) New Malaysia.

"We can clearly see what is the cause of this political illness," he added.

Yesterday afternoon, Lim issued a statement in Chinese urging MCA to immediately leave BN because Umno and PAS were now "declaring war" on non-Muslims.

He argued that Umno and PAS' cooperation during the Cameron Highlands and Semenyih by-election campaign saw leaders from both parties issuing "extremist" statements.

"This extremist language includes 'no need for Chinese or Indian support', 'shut down Chinese and Tamil schools', 'oppose funding for Chinese private schools', 'non-Muslims should not be cabinet ministers', 'Muslims risk going to hell if they do not vote for Muslims', 'non-Muslims are controlling the government' and 'Malays are now guests', among others.

"They are pitting Malays against non-Malays, worsening race relations, eroding non-Malay rights and challenging non-Malay rights protected by the Federal Constitution," he added.

Late last night, Lim issued a correction to remove the words "declaring war". His revised statement said Umno and PAS are now making non-Muslims "targets" of their political rhetoric.