MP SPEAKS | If Malaysian politics was as toxic and vicious in the past as it is now, my law degree would have been raised as an issue – in the way that Pakatan Harapan leaders, whether minister or deputy ministers, are now being questioned about their academic qualifications, with or without basis.

I must thank my lucky stars that I was not questioned about my law degree and asked to prove my credentials, as it would be quite a bother to do so – as I do not know where the certificate is.

It is not that lies and falsehoods were not employed at all in Malaysian politics in the past, but we have never plumbed so low a depth as after the May 2018 general election.

Why? Because the 'great' parties of the past– Umno, MCA, Gerakan and PAS – which had bestrode the political landscape for decades, are now fighting a battle of survival after having suffered unprecedented electoral setbacks in the general election.

Why, for instance, is MCA president Wee Ka Siong so active and busy firing at multiple targets daily?

The answer is simple – to distract public attention from at least four questions he had been running away from in the past few months, namely:

The untold story of MCA ministers and leaders betraying the nation in aiding and abetting the greatest crime in the history of Malaysia, turning the country into a global kleptocracy not only with the monstrous 1MDB corruption, embezzlement and money-laundering scandal, but also other 1MDB-like scandals in Felda, Felcra, Mara and Lembaga Tabung Haji;
MCA hypocrisy as exposed by acting BN chairperson Mohamad Hasan that no supreme council had been held thus far because the party was afraid that journalists would pressure the party on a resolution to dissolve the coalition;
MCA’s support for political co-operation with PAS, although the latter under its president Abdul Hadi Awang is practising the most vicious and toxic politics of lies, hate, fear, race and religion to sow suspicion, distrust and hatred among races and religions in Malaysia; and
Wee's admission that he would have lost his deposit in the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat in the 14th general election under Hadi’s dictum that Muslims must vote for Muslim candidates.

Wee’s position in parliament today is one of the greatest parliamentary frauds in Malaysian parliamentary history. Who does he represent in Parliament – Umno or PAS? Or both?

Is this the reason why he dared not criticise Umno or PAS on the issue of kleptocracy and the 1MDB scandal?

From a recent statement by an MCA spokesperson, it is shocking to see that MCA is emerging as the only political party to defend the kleptocratic government when both Umno and PAS had kept discreet.

I say that the politics of lies, hate, fear, race and religion is not a new phenomenon because I would not have become the most demonised person in Malaysian politics for the past half a century otherwise.

If all the lies told about me were true, I must be among the richest, the most powerful and most remarkable person in human history.

I had been accused of being a communist, in fact, a relative of Chin Peng; being responsible for the May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur although I was not in the city after the May 10 election; painted as quite a devil; that I am anti-Malay, anti-Islam and at various times even anti-Indian, anti-Chinese-educated Chinese, anti-English-educated Chinese; an agent of KGB, CIA, MI6 and even the Australian Intelligence.

Before the 14th general election, the politics was so toxic that it was alleged I would become the prime minister if Pakatan Harapan had won.

When such lies were proved wrong after May 9, new lies and falsehoods were manufactured, alleging that I am the real power in the Harapan government, and that Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar Ibrahim, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Mohamad Sabu were merely my stooges and puppets.

New baseless allegations were constantly concocted – that I am conspiring to get appointed into the cabinet, and in the Cameron Highlands by-election, I was accused of saying that the Orang Asli in Malaysia are not citizens of the country.

A message was also sent through the social media that I am seeking the removal of the words 'Islam' and 'Malay' from the Federal Constitution through a parliamentary motion.

These were all downright lies. New lies to sow hate and fear will be peddled in the upcoming Semenyih by-election.

A new lie about the DAP is now being peddled on social media, making the following allegation:

“Parti DAP terlalu bahaya pada masa ini, terlalu amat berbahaya, tambahan pula mereka telah menyusup masuk dlm pentadbiran kerajaan utk melaksanakan agenda Malaysian Malaysia mereka. Gerakerja mereka yg pertama ialah mengurangkan dominasi org melayu dlm pentadbbiran kerajaan. Itulah sebabnya mereka menjalankan strategi pengurangan penjawat awam. Pada masa sekarang nisbah penjawat awam adalah 95 peratus melayu dan 5 peratus, peratusan melayu ini akan dikurangkan sehingga peratusan penjawat awam menjadi 30% Melayu 30%, Cina 30%, 30% Hindu dan 10% lain bangsa. Ini bermakna puak DAP ini terpaksa membuang sebanyak 65%org Melayu sebagai penjawat awam, dan kemudian mereka akan meningkatkan peratusan bangsa Cina sedikit demi sedikit sehingga mencapai peratusan 90%. Inilah agenda mereka.”

(DAP is now the most dangerous party. It has infiltrated into the government to launch its Malaysian Malaysia agenda. Its aim is firstly to reduce the Malay dominance in the government administration. That's the reason why it is carrying out a strategy to reduce the number of civil servants. At present, the ratio of civil servants is 95 percent Malays and five percent others. The DAP wants to reduce the percentage of Malays so that Malays will be 30 percent, Chinese 30 percent, Indians 30 percent, and others 10 percent. This means DAP wants to throw out 65 percent of the Malay civil servants and then increase the percentage of the Chinese little by little until it reaches 90 percent. This is its agenda.)

Malaysians – be they Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli – must develop a sceptical and cynical attitude to the messages they receive on social media, whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or WhatsApp. They must ask the important question: “Is this true?”

They must check the veracity of the messages before sharing them with others. If Malaysians can develop such a healthy attitude of scepticism and cynicism, they will not fall victim to the vicious and toxic politics of Umno, PAS or MCA.

LIM KIT SIANG is the MP for Iskandar Puteri.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.