Paper 'planting assassination idea'

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) has accused the Malay newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, of planting the idea of assassinating members of parliament through a story published in Mingguan Malaysia, its Sunday edition.

Lim said the fictitious story entitled "Politik baru YB J" was aimed at Teresa Kok.

"The YB Josephine, who is the main character in the piece, actually referred to Teresa Kok," he said.

YB Josephine takes an anti-Islamic stand in the story and is killed by an alleged supporter at a function held in her stronghold.

The assassin approaches her on stage and then shoots her three times in the chest.

"I know it is creative licence, but the author had clearly planted the idea of political assassination. He was being inciteful," Kit Siang said during the debate on the budget.

"What would you say if the short story envisaged a minister being killed at the end of the story?

"Surely there would be hostile reaction from Barisan Nasional backbenchers."

Kok and Utusan Malaysia are currently locked in a dispute after the newspaper claimed that she had called for the Kinrara Mosque in Section 5, Bandar Kinrara in Puchong to tone down the volume of its call to prayer or Azan.

Kok was subsequently detained under the Internal Security Act for several days.

Upon her release, she filed a RM30 million suit for damages against the newspaper.

Lim, who waved a copy of the Oct 12 issue of Mingguan Malaysia as he spoke, said in the country's 51 years of independence, never had creative licence been used in this way to promote a violent idea.

At this point, Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) demanded to know how Lim came to the conclusion that the short story was aimed at Kok.

"If you ask 100 people who read the story, they would say that it refers to Teresa Kok, except you," replied Lim, saying that he wanted to know whether the authorities would investigate the matter.

"The backbenchers and opposition may have our differences but in the matter of assassination, it should be condemned by all of us."

Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu) felt that Lim was being dramatic.

"After all, five attempts have been made on me. Someone tried to run me off the road, but you never kicked up a fuss.

"You are only doing this because it is Kok," he said.

To this, Lim said that he could not kick up a fuss in Tiong's case because the latter had not highlighted the incident in the house.

- nst