Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak has pointed out that by Lim Kit Siang's standard, politicians the world over would be considered stooges.

“If standing up for your party and defending your party against lies, slander and attacks, makes one a stooge, then every politician in the world would be a stooge of his or her own party,” he said.

Salleh was responding to Lim branding him and fellow Sabah Umno leader, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan, as “Umno's two stooges.”

The minister also asked if DAP had not given the boot to members who failed to toe the party line.

“When people support their party you call them stooges and when they do not toe the party line you call them traitors and sack them.

“Lim needs to make up his mind as to how he expects party leaders to show loyalty,” he said in a blog posting titled “Why is Kit Siang getting too personal?”

Salleh also asked if the DAP leaders who disagreed to working with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but who remained silent, would be considered stooges as well.

He also pointed out that of late, Lim appeared to delight in name-calling and using derogatory remarks against those who are not on the same page as him.

“Just two years ago, he visited the MACC office and sang their praises, and today, he has upset them with his 'three monkeys' analogy and asked its commissioner, Dzulkifi Ahmad and senior officers to take a course in the English language.

“So, when he thought he could use the MACC to hurt Umno, the MACC is his friend, and when they are no longer useful to DAP, they are 'the three monkeys',” he added.