Contrary to Lim Guan Eng urging churches to be agents of change, an MCA leader said it should be the churches which should be advising the Penang chief minister to walk the talk.

Ti Lian Ker was responding to Lim reportedly challenging churches to back the Citizens’ Declaration, which aims to remove Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

The MCA religious harmony bureau chairperson said the chief minister should first come clean on his perceived "corruption" with regard to his purchase of a bungalow below market price before talking about corruption in higher places.

Ti claimed that the DAP secretary-general has lost his moral ground to advise parish leaders on their role in fighting corruption.

“Instead it should be the other way round. The churches should be reminding Lim to walk his talk and follow the spirit of CAT (Competency, Accountability and Transparency).

“Yes, the Bible and all other holy books teach us not to tolerate or condone corruption. Public officers who are perceived to ‘benefit’ from their offices have breached the fine line of corruption in particular, to have committed an offence under Section 165 of the Penal Code.

“If Lim wants to invoke the name or institutions of God, he must come with clean hands and not insult the sanctity of religion and religious institutions by seeking to trap them into active political partisanship in whatever name.

“The Citizen's Declaration is a political movement initiated by politicians past and present with a heavy political accent or agenda,” he said in a media statement.

Lim has denied any elements of corruption in the bungalow purchase and the matter is currently being investigated.

Furthermore, Ti described Lim’s call as being “irresponsible and naughty” as it could result in a perceived political partisanship that might jeopardise the harmonious existence of churches or subject them to unnecessary political exposure or attacks.

"The sparks can combust into flames or inferno in a multi-racial multi-religious society like ours," he added.

Ti, who is also a MCA central committee member, said Lim should know that he was invited to address the gathering of the parish leaders as the chief minister and not as DAP secretary-general.

“As a responsible political leader holding such a high office, Lim knows and ought to know the danger of bringing political sparks to the church that may be incendiary and sparks can combust into flames or inferno in a multi-racial multi-religious society like ours,” he added.