Kit Siang: I won't run away from Gelang Patah

Despite news reports claiming that BN may field Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman in the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang declared that he will not run away.

“If Ghani wants to contest in Gelang Patah, I will not back off!

“We are not kiasu (afraid of losing)! We are not kiasi (afraid of death)!

“ Su jiu su, si jiu si! (Lose or die, let it be),” he told thousands of Johoreans in Hokkien during an outdoor ceramah last night at Batu Pahat,  where he was born and received his early education.

His bold statement was met with strong applause from the animated crowd, which mostly consisted of Chinese.

The incumbent Ipoh Timor MP reiterated that his decision to contest Gelang Patah is to extend the ‘political tsunami’ in the 2008 general election to the southern state, strengthening Pakatan Rakyat’s effort to capture federal power in this general election.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng ( left in photo ), who gave his speech before his father, again challenged MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek to face Kit Siang in Gelang Patah, saying that surrendering the MCA traditional stronghold to an Umno candidate would prove that MCA is subservient to Umno.

“As MCA president, you can’t even defend your own seat, how are you going to represent Malaysian Chinese and the people?

“He (Umno) has kicked on your door and entered your house but you still tolerate him?” he asked.

Yesterday, several dailies had reported that BN is mulling to field Ghani in Gelang Patah to contain Kit Siang’s growing momentum in the southern part of Johor.

However, Ghani has declined to comment on the reports when met by reporters yesterday.

The DAP ceramah at Batu Pahat last night which featured lawmakers originating from the town - Selangor speaker Teng Chang Khim, incumbent Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching, incumbent Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, incumbent Skudai assemblyperson Dr Boo Cheng Hau and Kit Siang himself - was attended by over 5,000 people.

The festive-like ceramah ended with fireworks, and Batu Pahat folk were seen scrambling to obtain DAP leaders’ signatures on the party’s mascot Ubah soft toys and even their own T-shirts.