Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung was today criticised for defending the 90-second political broadcast aired during prime-time news slots on government stations, RTM 1 and RTM 2.

DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang said he was shocked that Chor denied the broadcast was a part of a political campaign in the run-up to the Indera Kayangan by-election in Perlis.

Chor told malaysiakini yesterday that the 90-second clip was "general information and a news item to the public".

"It is not a Barisan Nasional campaign," he stressed.

According to an irate Lim, the deputy minister "would have put Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels to shame in his blatant attempt to pass off the BN political propaganda as news".

He added DAP is considering taking legal action against BN and TV station RTM for the "abuse of government resources and facilities".

The 90-second footage began with attacks on Muslim-based PAS which has been championing the Islamic state cause.

The images shown convey the message that PAS would be a repressive regime for women and chaos would reign if the opposition wins.

Clippings depicted terrorist activities, riots, social unrest and demonstrations by the reformasi movement during former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's trial.

The footage also suggested that Malaysians need to defend their independence and sovereignty from subjugation of foreign powers.

'Taliban Malaysia'

Lim said the transcript of the broadcast was calculated to paint the Barisan Alternatif in the "worst possible light" and that the opposition coalition stands for a 'Taliban Malaysia'.

"What had happened to women in Afghanistan was not impossible and it will happen to women in this country. Even when they (PAS) are not yet in power, they have already shown their intention to curb freedom and women's rights in this country, which is guaranteed by the constitution," said the broadcast, while showing images of a Taliban execution of an Afghanistan woman in a football stadium.

"You surely would not want a foreign power to come and bomb this country to free our women and people who are pressured and oppressed by militant groups. Let our country free itself from these militant groups to avert our country from crisis," it continued.

Lim said the broadcast violates the government's 'no campaigning' ban for the Indera Kayangan by-election until nomination day next Thursday.

He added this also augured a "very dirty" by-election campaign in which government resources and machinery are being abused for BN's benefit.

"All political propaganda on the airwaves should be clearly identified as political commercials to all viewers," said Lim.

Meanwhile, DAP national publicity secretary Ronnie Liu has written to Information Minister Khalil Yaakob to ask whether the government is prepared to lift its ban on political broadcasts on the two state-owned TV stations and allow DAP to buy air time for political advertisements.