PAS has denied that it had chosen not to defend Kepala Batas MP Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad after she alleged that the DAP leader is related to Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) leader Chin Peng and Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
PAS Information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said the 48-hour time frame provided by DAP Chairman Lim Guan Eng is too short for the Islamist party to obtain Siti Mastura’s statement, and therefore PAS has no choice but to put the matter on hold for the time being.
“This matter has already reached the legal stage. Therefore, why is everyone so eager to debate about whether to defend her or not? Many leaders from government political parties are not supporting the government,” Ahmad was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia yesterday (Nov 13).
“We are not refusing to defend our representative, but since Lim’s press conference, the time given was not enough. We need to obtain the recording evidence to know the actual issue that occurred.
“What is the rationale for DAP to only give a 48-hour deadline? Can you imagine how we are going to defend Siti Mastura? So, there is no need to question if we are going to defend her or not unless this matter is not taken to the legal stage.”
Ahmad, who is also the Pasir Mas MP, chose not to comment on Siti Mastura’s statement and opted instead to refer the matter to the authorities.
On Saturday (November 11), Amanah Youth exco Azhar Rahman mocked PAS for putting Siti Mastura in an awkward position by remaining silent on her allegations against DAP leaders.
He stated that since Siti Mastura’s speech linking Lim to Chin Peng went viral, no other PAS leader had defended her by supporting the allegation.
On Nov 4, Siti Mastura had alleged that Lim is related to Singapore’s first prime minister Lee and CPM leader Chin Peng at a PAS machinery gathering in Kemaman, Terengganu.
Following her accusation, Lim had given the PAS MP two days starting on Nov 7 to provide evidence or face legal action. The 48-hour deadline ended on Nov 9.
According to Lim, Siti Mastura made the allegation against him and his father, Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, as well as Seremban MP Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Khoo Ham.
“I wish to stress that I have no family ties with Loke or Kok. My wife has no family ties with them. No family ties with Nga or Ngeh, who are cousins. What is most important is that I have no family ties with Chin Peng and Kuan Yew,” the DAP chairman had told the reporters at Parliament on Nov 7.
In a video Lim had shown to members of the media at Parliament on (Nov 7), Siti Mastura also claimed that the DAP leaders she mentioned shared blood ties.
In the same video clip, Siti Mastura, who is the deputy chief of PAS women’s wing, purported that Lim’s wife Betty Chew is the “cousin” of Kok, Local Government Development Minister Nga, and Ngeh.
After Siti Mastura failed to provide evidence by Thursday (Nov 9), Bagan MP Lim had appointed Datuk Sankara Narayanan Nair as his lawyer to file a lawsuit against the PAS lawmaker over the matter.
Lim also demanded that PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin publicly state their stance on what he described as “extremist”, “racist”, and “outrageous lies” made by Siti Mastura. – Nov 14, 2023
