GEORGE TOWN, May 11- DAP has no interest in joining Barisan Nasional for posts, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in a statement here today.
This is because, he said DAP struggled for principles and people-centric policies not positions and personal interests.
He claimed that BN was using underhand tactics to split up Pakatan Rakyat by inviting DAP to join the coalition.
He stressed DAP’s urgent priority of polls reform that respected the “one-man, one-vote, one-value” principle would not be undermined by such underhand tactics.
He claimed that Pakatan’s failure to wrest the federal government from BN despite garnering more popular votes demands urgent polls reforms.
He said Pakatan was willing to co-operate with BN to implement polls reform to reflect the unhappiness of majority Malaysians, who voted for change and yet discover that despite winning the popular votes, they could not vote out BN.
“Suggestion of DAP joining BN by one MCA MP and one racist ex-Umno minister is to undermine Pakatan’s campaign to seek polls reform.
“Clearly BN’s latest tactic is designed to split up Pakatan,” alleged Lim, also the Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman.
DAP recorded its biggest electoral gains in the just concluded 13th general election by winning 38 parliamentary and 107 state seats, besides retaining the Penang government.
The Chinese dominated DAP has emerged as the single biggest party after Umno with most elected representatives for this term.
Lim claimed that DAP could have joined BN in the last 40 years if the party wanted to.
However, he said DAP had refused to join BN and held steadfastly to its ideals, principles and policies of a fairer, freer and democratic Malaysia.
“DAP leaders had not only forgone the perks and privileges of high office, but sacrificed their personal liberties by being jailed and detained,” said Lim.
He insisted that any talks of co-operation must be done through Pakatan and not through individual parties.
Prior to calls for DAP to join BN, he recalled similar gestures were also offered to PAS to form an unity government.
He said all these were being done when Umno was demonising DAP and the Chinese community for daring to oppose and vote against BN.
“Malaysians are no longer stupid and will not allow BN to racialise national issues,” he claimed.
Yesterday Lim’s father, the Gelang Patah MP Kit Sing said the party leadership had not given thought to the proposal to join BN.
