Where was DAP when the Selangor government imposed restrictions on Oktoberfest, back in 2014, an MCA leader asked today.

DAP's criticism against the recent ban on the Better Beer Festival 2017, was "hypocrisy at the highest level", and showed that the party "has no principles and memory", MCA religious harmony bureau chairperson Ti Lian Ker said in a statement.

"In 2014, the Selangor authorities imposed restrictions on the Oktoberfest beer festival, as the PAS veep Iskandar Abdul Samad, who is also a Selangor executive council member, said the state never approved the hosting of the beer festival there.

"DAP, which had empowered PAS in the last general election, was nowhere to be seen or heard when this announcement was made; they did not protest, nor did they call for resignations. Lim Kit Siang did not demand a Royal Commission of Inquiry," Ti said.

Following criticisms from PAS leaders then, the Selangor government moved the venue of the Oktoberfest festival from the One Utama mall's open-air carpark to a section in the fourth-floor parking lot. This, however, did not deter thousands of people from thronging the party.

Prior to the event, a billboard in Shah Alam, publicising the German beer festival, had also been declared illegal, reports say.

According to Ti, with DAP being "as silent as a church mouse" when all this transpired, only showed that the party only defended non-Muslim rights when it benefited the party, and stayed silent when it does not.

"Where was Lim when PAS, the party they had once empowered, stood against Oktoberfest? Was he quiet because he was afraid of destroying what he had accomplished - to convince the Chinese to support PAS?" he asked.

Ti said non-Muslims would soon see beyond DAP's nasty political agenda that uses religion and racial issues to garner support and votes.

Earlier today, Lim had accused MCA of being a party without principles, for first being opposed to, then agreeing with, the ban on the Better Beer Festival 2017.

Following reports that the event was banned by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) due to political sensitivities, MCA had raised objections, but its president Liow Tiong Lai yesterday conceded to the ban, saying it was due to security concerns.

Inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun had also confirmed the event was disallowed as there was information that militants and troublemakers were planning to sabotage and create havoc at the festival, scheduled to be held at the Publika Mall on Oct 6 and 7.

The festival, aimed at promoting smaller breweries, had been taking place without incident the last five years but gained national prominence after PAS central committee member Riduan Mohd Nor said it would lead to reprisals from extremists.