The demonisation of DAP as anti-Malay and anti-Islam is simply because Umno fears that BN would be defeated in the next general election, said DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang.

"I expect such politics of fear and hate to escalate in the coming weeks and months.

"The reason is very simple and obvious; Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his Umno propagandists believe and fear that Umno and BN would be defeated in the next national general election," he said in a speech in Pagoh last night.

Their fear might be caused by a recent opinion poll which showed that BN's popularity rating has plunged below the 50 percent mark among Malay voters for the first time, he mused.

There is actually no need for Umno to demonise DAP to scare Malay voters into believing they will lose political power to the Chinese, he said, as that is not possible in Malaysia.

Lim pointed out that the demographic in Malaysia ensures that the Malays would not lose their dominance in politics.

"There is no way that the Malays can lose political power in Malaysia and that the DAP or the Chinese will rule the country.

"The demographic forces will see an increasing percentage of Malay population and decreasing percentage of Chinese population in Malaysia," he said.

In 1970, Lim said, Malays made up 44.32 percent of the Malaysian population, while the Chinese were 34.34 percent.

Meanwhile, in 2010, Malays had increased to 55.07 percent of the population while the Chinese had decreased to 24.34 percent, he said.

Umno propagandists had also "spread the falsehood" that PKR and Amanah are "stooges" of DAP, Lim said, specifically that Amanah president Mohamad Sabu is a puppet of DAP.

"This was exactly the lies that Umno propagandists spread about PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang during the years of Pakatan Rakyat.

"I have political differences with Hadi but he was never an agent, stooge or puppet of DAP, just as Mohamad Sabu is never an agent, stooge or puppet of DAP," he said.

That is why he was shocked when PAS propagandists adopted Umno's tactics of "lies, fear and hate" in their attempt to demonise Mohamad Sabu, Lim said.

He said they should not use Umno's tactics against Amanah's leaders as it is the same tactics used by Umno against Hadi and PAS leaders in the past.

"It is such dirty and unprincipled politics which we should expose and clean up if democracy in Malaysia is to develop unto a healthy and progressive political system in Malaysia," he said.