Mastura sticks to her guns over controversial speech on DAP, communism

September 18, 2024

Mastura sticks to her guns over controversial speech on DAP, communism

GEORGE TOWN: Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad stuck to her guns at the High Court here today over her controversial speech that linked several DAP leaders with a former communist leader.

She said it was unfair for everyone to assume the worst from a mere three-minute snippet of a clip associating Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang and Teresa Kok with the late Chin Peng, as the full speech must be heard for context.

The three-minute clip is the basis of a lawsuit being brought by DAP leaders against her.

Mastura said the claims she made were based on the “well-researched” and authoritative “BN Comms” guidebook by Barisan Nasional published for its party leaders ahead of the 15th general election.

“In the Islamic struggle, we are told to get to know our enemies. What I said was meant for a closed-door audience, to raise the spirits of the PAS young women’s wing,” she said after taking the stand for the first time at the High Court.

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“These young women must be informed of DAP’s ideologies. If we don’t remind them of these ideologies, they might think (these ideologies) are okay,” she said in response to defence lawyer SN Nair.

When Nair asked what she knew about communism, Mastura said it basically meant equality for all races, no more Bumiputera status and the use of a single national language.

She said the scourge of communism, in the form of the Communist Party of Malaya led by Chin Peng, had badly impacted the country in its nascent days.

Mastura claimed certain ideologies led to the expulsion of Singapore from Malaysia, based on her research on the People’s Action Party and DAP’s Setapak Declaration.

However, she said her comments mentioning “Lim Kuan Yew” and that Kok was Kit Siang’s wife were slips of the tongue.

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Mastura also disagreed with Nair’s claim that her speech was aimed at causing enmity towards DAP and its leaders, or painting them as anti-Islam.

“There were lots of evidence on the internet to back my claims, but after this case was brought against me, all of it was taken down. I trust the BN Comms research,” she said.

Nair then asked her if she would believe it if one were to write in a book that Penang was not an island but part of Selangor, and that the Manchester United football club was formed in Batu Pahat.

“They are not in the (BN Comms) book,” she replied.

The cross-examination continues tomorrow before Justice Quay Chew Soon.

Ex-Umno man claims BN Comms book given to him

Earlier, former Seremban Umno Youth chief Zool Amali Hussin testified that the BN Comms book was given to all top Umno leaders before GE15, in an effort led by BN Comms chief Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.

Zool, who is now in Bersatu after 30 years in Umno, also said Umno leaders were “indoctrinated” at the party’s training institute in Janda Baik on DAP’s alleged communist links.

“I never second-guessed the book’s contents as it came from the government of the day, (so) it must be accurate,” said the defence witness when asked by Nair about the veracity of the book.

“Why are Guan Eng, Kit Siang and Teresa Kok suing Mastura? They should be suing Umno. Why has she been made the black sheep in this?”

Defence counsel Yusfarizal Yusoff told the High Court that Shamsul and BN secretary-general Zambry Abdul Kadir did not appear in court despite being subpoenaed as witnesses, adding that he would apply to the court to have arrest warrants issued to produce them in court.