DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang lambasted a Selangor Umno assemblyperson for demanding to know who is the donor for the RM9.8 million to be used for the Darul Ehsan Arch facelift, but kept mum on the RM2.6 billion in ‘donations’ made to his own party president.

Lim accused Dengkil elected representative Mohd Sharif of being “cowardly silent about (Umno president) Najib Razak’s 2.6 billion ‘Donorgate’, which is 260 times bigger than the face-lift donation”.

Mohd Shariff had earlier called out Selangor MB Azmin Ali on the issue, challenging the PKR deputy president to explain the astronomical sum needed to repair the arch and who are the donors behind the donated repair funds.

“I could not believe my eyes when I saw the report , ‘Reveal donors for RM10m arch facelift, Umno rep tells MB’, and I had to read it a second time to believe what I had," he continued.

Lim asserted that most readers would have reacted in similar disbelief and incredulity to the report.

Most, he argued would think instead of the RM2.6 billion ‘Donorgate’ and the many turns and twists and parliamentary escapades over the issue which garnered widespread attention since the Wall Street Journal’ s July expose of the matter.

“The marvel is not that Mohd Sharif is asking for the identity of the donors for the RM9.8 million facelift for the Kota Darul Ehsan arch... but that not a single one from the whole gang of Umno Members of Parliament and state assembly representatives in the country demanded revelations from Najib about the RM2.6 billion Donorgate,” sniped Lim.

More tellingly, argued Lim, is that no Umno MP, assemblyperson, leader or delegate had raised the issue or demanded answers in the recently concluded five-day Umno general assembly.

“Why?” he asked snidely.