BUKIT GELUGOR Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng admitted today that he spoke too soon about male election candidates not suffering the sexist campaigns against them that female candidates experience.

The party's Bukit Gelugor candidate Ramkarpal Singh, said Lim, had been subject to the same dirty tactics that affected the party’s Teluk Intan candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.

"Please don't turn the election into a farce. Why ask Ramkarpal such a question? It has nothing to do with the by-election," the DAP secretary-general told the media in Penang.

He was referring to the question , ‘Are you gay?’ that a reporter from the Chinese press asked Ramkarpal yesterday, to which the 38-year old lawyer replied, "I am not gay!"

The question came from the raising of pictures of muscular men in Ramkarpal's Facebook page by Parti Cinta Malaysia candidate for the May 25 by-election, Huan Cheng Guan, who asked, “He is 38 and unmarried, do you feel there is anything wrong with it?".

Lim said Ramkarpal's opponent merely hinted, without making an allegation, but the question "Are you gay?" was framed by the mainstream media.

He said he later learnt that the reporter concerned was "forced" to ask the offensive question and that the party "does not blame the reporters".

Lim appealed to the Chinese press not to use the same tactics as BN to smear election campaigns.

"If Huan had made the allegation, the relevant action would be taken against him," Lim added, saying the DAP will stand by Ramkarpal till the campaign ends on Saturday.

Ramkarpal is expected to retain the parliamentary seat - vacated by the tragic death of his father Karpal Singh on April 17 - against Huan and two independent candidates Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan and Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohd Nabi Sathar.

Attacks on Dyana and mum slammed

Meanwhile, Lim also condemned the continuous attacks on Dyana which have now focused on her mother, Yammy Samat.

Lim said Yammy is not a candidate in the by-election and yet she has been attacked with “slander and insults”, with some quarters in Umno asking her to quit the party.

He urged BN and Umno to have “some humanity” towards Yammy who is only looking out for her daughter.

“This is between mother and child. Even the mother is not spared, we don’t know what other personal attacks would be hurled against her,” he said.

Lim said urgings to quit from Umno and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s remark on Yammy’s parenting skills were uncalled for.

He said if BN wanted to win the election which goes to polls on May 31, the ruling coalition “should win with honour”.

“It is as if the mother is only good if she breaks off her relationship with her daughter, or admit that she had bad parenting skills because her child became a DAP candidate,” Lim said.

“Dyana already explained that she joined the DAP because she knew she would never be given a chance to rise if she were in Umno,” Lim reiterated.

Lim was also asked on the incident outside the state legislative assembly yesterday where Bukit Gelugor Independent candidate Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan threw himself on Lim’s car as he was leaving the premises.

To which, the CM replied, “I did not know who it was, at first I wanted to come down and see what happened.

“After I saw how wild he was, running here and there, I decided to wait in the car,” Lim added.

Asked why he did not want to meet Abu Backer earlier when the latter waited outside the gate, Lim said, “When someone is running wildly in front of you, it is not wise to meet him.”

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