Tan: DAP stirs up old issues to divert people’s attention
KUCHING: The act by Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen, who is also state DAP chairman, in stirring up an old issue is seen as diverting people’s attention from the real problems.
SUPP Youth chief Tan Kai said this in response to Chong’s recent claim of the RM1 million issued to SUPP by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in 2013.
“DAP said we ( SUPP) received two cheques from PM Najib – each for RM500,000 – and that the money was from 1MDB,” Tan told reporters at SUPP headquarters here yesterday.
During the press conference, he pointed out that last year, former SUPP president Tan Sri Peter Chin responded to Sarawak Report with regard to the images of said cheques dated sometime in 2013 that were supposed to be issued by Najib.
Chin, in a statement issued on May 5 last year, said the publication of the images right at a time when Sarawak was facing its state election, was aimed at tarnishing the image of SUPP and its candidates.
“The publication by Sarawak Report is, in my view, an effort to cast aspersions on SUPP leadership then and now, in the hope of misleading voters on the current issues that are important to the people of Sarawak,” Chin was quoted as having said then, adding that it was ‘ the work of the opposition to meddle in the Sarawak elections’.
On this, Tan said the opposition could not find any evidence with regard to the ‘so- called’ cheques from Najib and simply went quiet after Chin responded to the allegation.
“Now, they are stirring things up again. I think it is because
Furthermore, they (DAP) have a lot of issues in Peninsular Malaysia, which they cannot explain to the public. They simply want to divert people’s attention. Tan Kai, SUPP Youth chief
they do not have any other topic to attack SUPP (with).
“Furthermore, they ( DAP) have a lot of issues in Peninsular Malaysia, which they cannot explain to the public. They simply want to divert people’s attention.”
Tan, also political secretary to the chief minister, added: “For example, they ( DAP) spent RM209 million on consultancy fees for the construction of a 20km road in Penang.
“This meant that more than RM10 million per kilometre was paid for consultation fees alone, even when the construction had yet to start.
“When there were allegations about former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad being involved in a forex (foreign exchange) scandal amounting to US$ 10 billion in the 1990s, DAP did not have any response to it, even till today – they even told the people that Dr Mahathir ‘is the saviour of Malaysia’.”
Another issue that Tan highlighted was the accusation of DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng purchasing a bungalow at a below-market price, which is still under investigation.
“DAP in the past always asked whoever was under investigation should take leave. But till today, Lim Guan Eng is still the chief minister of Penang.”
Tan added that besides these issues, there were many more that surrounded the DAP.
“I hereby challenge Chong Chieng Jen – if you say that the RM1 million is ‘ dirty money’ allegedly received by SUPP from 1MDB, please lodge a police report. Do not just issue statements all the time.
“Otherwise, you have to apologise to all SUPP members,” Tan stressed.