Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail officiated the party's new branch in Lunas, Kedah last night, dispelling claims that the three-year-old party was losing support among non-Malays.

Speaking at a gathering held in a Chinese temple, Wan Azizah told the 500-odd crowd that she was happy to receive the new members.

Of the 270 new members, 138 are Chinese Malaysians who hail from Lunas and nearby Kulim.

"In the television every day, we are featured as a weak party. Permatang Pauh (Wan Azizah's parliamentary constituency) is constantly attacked by the Barisan Nasional. If we are not strong, why the need to attack Keadilan.

"Our effort in these areas are important, that is why they are so afraid of us, we can get together to reject them (BN)," she said during her 20-minute speech.

The event was supposed to have taken place at the Keadilan operations centre along Jalan Lunas but this was disallowed by the police.

A lion dance performance to welcome the Keadilan president and other party leaders was also not permitted.

However, the people were allowed to assemble at the Chinese temple located about 500m away.

Disuniting the people

In her speech, Wan Azizah also accused the BN government of attempting to disunite the people with its policy to teach Science and Mathematics in English in all schools.

The move met with strong criticism from various quarters, namely vernacular education movements.

The Keadilan president said the government-controlled media made it seem that only a small group of Chinese were opposing the switch.

"They call this group extremist," she said, referring to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's labelling of these education movements as "extremist" and warning them "not to play with fire".

Following this, Deputy Home Minister Zainal Abidin Zin threatened to use the Internal Security Act against those who want to turn the issue into a racial one.

"This is their (BN) usual tactic, whenever people oppose their move, they are labelled extremist and are threatened with the Internal Security Act," said Wan Azizah.

Sensitive to tactics

She added it was well-known that the language switch was opposed by Malay and Tamil groups as well.

"We must be sensitive to the tactics used by the BN to disunite us and fight them," she told the crowd.

Moments later, when a Fire and Rescue Department truck roared passed the temple, Wan Azizah had the crowd in stitches when she said she thought the truck was a police water cannon truck which had come to spray chemical-laced water on her.

Later, the Keadilan president presented 120 school bags to poor pupils of five primary schools, including a Chinese and Tamil school.

Other Keadilan leaders present at the event were Lunas state assembly representative Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, supreme council members Dr Lee Boon Chye, Cheah Kah Peng and Penang Youth leader Zamil Ibrahim.