DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng will have a police report lodged against Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria over the latter's comment that he was challenging the sovereignty of Malay rulers by advising his party members against accepting honorific titles such as 'Datuk'.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament today, Lim, who is also finance minister, said the Islamist party had spun his remarks to make it seem like he was anti-Islam and against the Malay rulers.

"I will ask for the issue to be looked at from a legal and criminal point of view. The remark is an irresponsible attempt to instigate sentiments against me.

"Why is it always about me? If the chief minister of Malacca (Adly Zahari) did not receive titles, PAS should have criticised him as well but it did not. PAS just slammed me. I merely advised my party members against receiving titles.

"Raising such sentiments against me is just an attempt by PAS to cover up its failure to manage well the economy of the states it runs," Lim said.

He was responding to the reported comment by Razman on Saturday night that DAP was challenging the sovereignty of Malay rulers by having its elected lawmakers not accept state or federal awards while they were still in office.

Razman also linked the DAP move to the proposal to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).

Lim had last month chided party members who accepted awards which confer them with titles while they are still in political office. They should only agree to receive them after they have retired from politics, he advised.

The issue arose after Malacca DAP chief Tey Kok Kiew accepted an award carrying the title 'Datuk' from state governor Mohd Khalil Yaakob.

Conduct not 'Malaysian'

Commenting further, Lim said it was dangerous for PAS to raise the racial and religious spectre out of a non-existent issue.

"When I mentioned that Kelantan PAS was unable to pay the salaries of its civil servants, the party accused me of slandering them and asked for an apology. However, they kept mum when I presented them with evidence and did not even apologise for making it an issue.

"But this is not mere slander. This is fanning racial and Malay rulers' related sentiments. They (PAS) have turned to a non-issue to instigate the rakyat. This conduct is not Malaysian," he said.

"It is apparent that PAS has lost the plot by twisting a non-existent issue into a political spectre. I will make sure action is taken and I will look at this matter from a legal and criminal point of view," Lim added.