DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has been urged to apologise for making a ‘false allegation’ against MCA over Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

He was said to have claimed that an ‘operative’ of the Puchong MCA division was the first person to have lodged a police report against Kok over the azan (call to prayer) controversy.

lim kit siang and dap Lim (left) reportedly made the claim at the press conference on the day of Kok’s release , seven days after her arrest on Sept 12.

The azan controversy was one of the three reasons cited by the authorities for her detention. They claimed that DAP’s Kok, also a senior Selangor exco member, had caused racial tensions.

In a statement today, Selangor MCA secretary Lee Sing Chooi said the party was “sad” that Lim had made the accusation against “without any proof nor grounds”.

“It is regrettable that Lim is obviously playing politics to the hilt,” Lee stated in the statement, adding that the MCA was happy that Kok had been freed.

Lee claimed that the first person to make the police report against Kok was a special assistant to Umno’s Sri Serdang state assemblyperson Mohd Satim Diman, who is not a MCA member.

Internal probe done

Another person implicated in Lim’s allegation was an ex-MCA member whose membership had been terminated in April after he was declared a bankrupt.

“The topmost priority of Malaysians now is to urge the government to abolish or review the ISA. We don’t want Lim to make any wrongful accusations,” said Lee.

“Hence, he should retract his remarks and make a public apology to not only the MCA, but to the general public as well.”

The call was echoed by the Chinese-based party’s Puchong division.

In a separate statement, division chief Wong Hock Aun said an internal probe has found that none of its members had lodged the report against Kok or instructed anyone else to do so.

“The allegation made by Lim is baseless with the (deliberate) intention of tarnishing MCA’s reputation. We can clearly see that it was politically motivated,” said Wong in the statement.

He further took a swipe at Lim, saying the latter has always demanded that politicians or government officers should apologise for perceived wrongdoings.

“(As such), Lim should not only apologise to MCA members but also to every Malaysian over his baseless and unfounded accusations,” Wong added.