KUALA LUMPUR: DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng warned that it was “preposterous” for PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang to allege that DAP was supportive of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and attribute this alleged support on the grounds that trade in the country was purportedly controlled by the Chinese community.
The people would expect such misrepresentation of DAP’s position or a racially-tinged statement from Umno, claimed Guan Eng. “For a PAS leader to indulge in such baseless untruths shows that PAS was now not only co-operating with Umno but also adopting its dirty politics of slander against the DAP.”
The TPPA was initiated by Umno, not by DAP, pointed out Guan Eng. “TPPA was being led by the United States to restrict China’s influence geo-politically.”
“If Hadi is so anti-Chinese, he should not be against the TPPA, but support it to oppose China.”
Why has Hadi not blamed or criticized Umno? he asked. “He hasn’t explained his failure to get Umno to heed his advice to oppose TPPA, since he is now an advisor to the Barisan Nasional (BN) Federal Government.”
Hadi should not misrepresent DAP’s position on TPPA which has been announced several times before, continued Guan Eng. “DAP opposes the TPPA due to our deep concern about the impact on ordinary Malaysians, the wage-earners and the small-time businessmen such as the Small & Medium Enterprises(SMEs).”
“Nearly 40 per cent of SMEs may close down because of the TTPA, a fact that the Federal Government has yet to address.”
Guan Eng wonders how Hadi can be a national political leader if he does not understand simple economics. “He refuses to blame Umno but instead claims that the DAP supports the US-led TPPA because the Chinese in Malaysia control trade.”
“Using Hadi’s logic, then Umno must be Chinese too for initiating the passing of the TPPA in Parliament. Why then does Hadi continue to work with Umno and even advice the BN Federal Government?”
The DAP Secretary-General, also the Penang Chief Minister, advised Hadi to compete with BN based on economic performance, on action, not empty rhetoric. “The people must be convinced of a better life economically under an alternative to BN in Putrajaya, and not replace an economically-distressed country with a bankrupt state.”