Suqiu today refuted Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent allegations that the Chinese lobby group is working with opposition parties to portray the government as anti-Chinese.

"It is untrue to say that us are working with the opposition just because we sometimes hold the same view as theirs, as was the case with the Vision Schools issue and Damansara Chinese primary school controversy," said Suqiu secretary Ser Choon Ing told malaysiakini .

Opposition party DAP and Suqiu had opposed the Vision Schools concept - a government proposal to place schools of different teaching mediums in one compound - and the closure of SJK (C) Damansara, as they claimed both issues jeopardised mother tongue education.

Ser said that like all community groups, Suqiu was merely voicing its criticisms and conveying it to the government with 'good intentions'. He said this was in accordance with democratic principles and should not be seen as 'anti-government'.

He said Mahathir's statements were 'unfair, inappropriate and meaningless' and he had no idea what the motive was behind the premier's allegations.

Yesterday, Mahathir was reported to have said that Suqiu was working with DAP to make 'the government look anti-Chinese'.

Prior to the general elections in 1999, Suqiu - which stands for Malaysian Chinese Organisations' Election Appeals Committee in Mandarin, had drafted a 17-point appeal endorsed by more than 2,000 Chinese organisations nationwide, calling for political and social reforms and fairer economic distribution.

The appeal generated a volley of protests from Umno Youth and Suqiu was later accused by the Utusan Malaysia daily of demanding the abolishment of bumiputra privileges, a charge which Suqiu has denied.

Following this, Mahathir likened Suqiu to communists and the Al-Ma'unah - an extremist group allegedly involved in an arms heist earlier last year and which has been subsequently charged for waging war against the King.

'Chinese special rights'

Mahathir had described the dailies Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press as "instruments of opposition" which have led to the ruling front Barisan Nasional's telling defeat in the Lunas by-election late last year.

Mahathir has also said recently the Chinese community were hoping for 'Chinese special rights' when they opposed the recent takeover of two Chinese papers by MCA and the Vision Schools project.

Reacting to this, DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said today the people who had briefed Mahathir on Chinese community's affairs and developments in the country had provided him with a "distorted truth".

"Mahathir should not accept 100 percent the information given by MCA leaders about the Chinese community as they (the MCA) dare not speak the truth but only want to look for scapegoats," he said in a press statement.

"No one has heard of 'Chinese special rights' until Mahathir invented the term," Lim added.

He called on the Cabinet, especially the Chinese ministers, to give top priority to Mahathir's statements at their weekly meeting tomorrow as such remarks could upset interracial relations in the country.

In another press statement, DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock said the prime minister has failed to understand the aspirations, sentiments and actions of the Chinese Malaysian community and its organisations.

Kerk urged Mahathir to have frequent dialogues with them and review certain government policies which have met with widespread objections.