Lim Kit Siang has accused his challenger for the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat, Abdul Ghani Othman, of being a proxy for former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s agenda to “bury” the DAP supremo in the coming general election.

Lim claimed the decision to field Ghani against him was part of a “very clear and systematic attempt to revive Mahathirism”, led by the former prime minister himself.

The Ipoh Timor incumbent said in a statement today that Ghani, who was moved from his Serom state seat to contest against the DAP heavyweight in Gelang Patah , “is a creature of Mahathirism”.

NONE “Ghani is the proxy of Mahathir in the agenda to ‘bury’ me in Gelang Patah, with Ghani being the standard for the revival of Mahathirism in Malaysia.”

Lim said this when issuing an “invitation” to Ghani ( right ) to a series of seven public debates - the first to be held before nomination day on April 20 - on the importance of the 13th general election to Johor and Malaysia.

These debates, Lim said, would be the most suitable replacement for a series of debates on Mahathir’s 22-year premiership, to which Lim had initially challenged Mahathir.

“Ghani owes not only the voters of Gelang Patah but also the people of Johor and Malaysia a clear exposition of his stand on Mahathir's concept of Bangsa Malaysia and Vision 2020 as well as Najib (Abdul) Razak's 1Malaysia concept – in particular whether he agrees with Najib or the (caretaker) Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the 1Malaysia policy.”

Ghani not intending to 'bury' Kit Siang

Yesterday Ghani denied that his candidacy in Gelang Patah was aimed to "bury" Lim's political career, calling it an attempt to defend what Johor has achieved, including harmony among the races.

Also yesterday, Lim issued an invitation to Ghani to make Gelang Patah the model constituency of clean, free and fair elections together with him.

mahathir um forum 140313 02 Mahathir ( right ) has been openly critical of Lim's candidacy for the Gelang Patah seat, leading Lim to issue the challenge to the series of debates last week.

Lim had said Mahathir’s “hyperactivity” over the past 100 days had shaped up the coming general election to be a double referendum, not only on Najib’s premiership, but on Mahathir’s own two-decade reign.

Mahathir, who has also declined Lim’s call to contest against him in Gelang Patah, has called on the people of Johor to ensure that the Johor seat becomes the “ burial ground ” for Lim’s political career.

Lim's victory in Gelang Patah, Mahathir also said in his blog, would result in racial clashes between the Malay and the Chinese communities.

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