DAP has refuted fake news reports that its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng will return as Penang chief minister.
Current Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s Facebook timeline is full of posts declaring one or another purported news report as “Palsu” (Fake), while a party spokesman also denied the allegation in a DAP WhatsApp group for media personnel.
Articles attacking DAP and its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had been rife, even after the party and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition it is part of have been toppled from federal power.
The change of government to one led by Perikatan Nasional came about after Muhyiddin Yassin’s faction in Bersatu, ex-PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, Umno and PAS joined forces.
Muhyiddin was sworn in as prime minister on March 1 but PH is disputing his majority and wants an emergency Dewan Rakyat sitting to test his support amongst MPs. However, the sitting originally scheduled for March 9 has now been postponed to May 18.
In the aftermath of PH’s ousting, it was revealed by some in Bersatu and also in PH, such as Amanah’s Khalid Samad, that those who plotted to form a new government had wanted a stronger Malay-Muslim coalition and for DAP to be removed.
On his Facebook timeline, Chow rebutted a post by a Facebook page calling itself Berita Malaysia Online, which claimed “Guan Eng May Return as Penang CM”.
He also condemned as slander another post by a page called Suara Kita Hebat, which attributed the following to Chow: “There will be no chance of setting up a Malay government in Penang. These are the arrogant words of the Penang Chief Minister.”
“Complete and utter slander without any basis!” Chow wrote.
DAP has led the state government in Penang since 2008, and Lim had been its chief minister for two terms.
He was then appointed finance minister by then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad after PH won federal power in 2018.
In the 2018 elections, PH in Penang won the state with a strong majority, snagging 37 out of 40 seats.
DAP also denounced as fake another quote, attributed to Chow, being circulated in poster form on WhatsApp, in which he allegedly said that the Penang legislative assembly need not be dissolved following the change in federal government as “Penang is like Singapore with full autonomy”.
Also being circulated on WhatsApp is a message by a purported ex-DAP member, Rahmad Isahak, claiming that Lim intends to take up the post as Penang chief minister again.
The message also alleges that statutory declarations are being signed in support of Lim to become chief minister. – TMI