An MCA leader has accused former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad of playing up the row over an alleged deal for the deputy prime minister's post to go to DAP should the opposition win, as a racial issue.

While admitting MCA had indeed in the past asked for a Chinese deputy prime minister, MCA central committee member Ti Lian Ker said it is just a “process of expressing the supporters' aspirations in a healthy democracy”.

“Mahathir speaks as though it is an outright taboo, and wants to provoke the sentiments and emotions of the Malays as if MCA had done something wrong, and DAP is more friendly towards and sensitive to the Malays.

“This is Mahathir's political game in trying to rally support for the opposition by playing on racial sentiments,” said Ti in a statement today.

Former DAP vice-president Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim earlier this month claimed Bersatu had a secret pact, which also involved Mahathir, in making DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang the deputy prime minister if Pakatan Harapan wins the 14th general election.

Mahathir in his defence said his words had been distorted, and it was MCA that had asked for the position from Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009.

'Just expressing voters' hopes'

Ti said MCA had indeed delivered the Chinese community's hope that there would be a Chinese deputy prime minister and there was nothing wrong with that.

“There is nothing wrong with a party conveying its supporters and the people's aspirations at any time. When a decision is made, what is important is we adhere to discipline and ethics of the party in order to preserve harmony,” said Ti.

He said this had happened in the past and it was all history.

“There is no need to drag out [what transpired in the past within the party…] into the public for the sake of malicious politics,” he said.

Yesterday at an event in Desa Pandan, Kuala Lumpur, Najib himself took a swipe at Mahathir's penchant for making “U-turns” citing the alleged DAP deputy prime minister offer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for 22 years he criticised Lim Kit Siang. He said Kit Siang is a racist, anti-Islam and anti-Malay. Suddenly, he wants to offer Kit Siang the deputy premiership.

Meanwhile minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan also got embroiled in the row on social media and had to defend his argument against DAP leaders becoming deputy prime minister as not racist.