GEORGE TOWN: DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has come under fire from former party colleagues for using the late Karpal Singh’s name to shore up support for the party.
Former DAP members claimed the use of late Karpal's name showed hypocrisy, especially in calling on the people to honour the former party stalwart now but not so when he was alive.
Former DAP life member Shamsher Singh Thind said today that Lim should not have used Karpal’s name for the survival of the party.
“As an ordinary voter, I can see that Pakatan Harapan has no chance of winning in the next general election.
“If Pakatan Harapan loses in the election, will Lim say that people have dishonoured Karpal?”
Earlier today, Lim had urged the people to honour Karpal by electing DAP for the third term in Penang and voting for Pakatan Harapan to form the next federal government.
Karpal died in a traffic accident on April 17, 2014.
Shamsher, who quit DAP in December last year for loss of faith in its leadership, said Lim may also be glorifying former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Another former DAP member Rahmad Isahak said it was clear that the party was becoming a liability.
By right, he said, Lim should answer to various allegations such as being a dictator and an anti-Islam, to clear his name.
“Answer all these to prove your critics wrong. Why use a dead man’s name? After all, dead men tell no tales,” he said.
Rahmad, who is now the People’s Alternative Party's vice-president, said it was ironic that Karpal’s name was used now.
He said DAP “accorded” Karpal his coffee shop when announcing his resignation as DAP national chairman due to legal disqualification following his sedition conviction and to safeguard DAP’s interests.
“That is the kind of respect shown to Karpal then. Now, to solicit sympathy, Lim is being a hypocrite by using Karpal’s good name.
“No one will believe as you (Lim) do not share Karpal’s principles. If you did, you would have advised your son Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to take leave over his graft charges,” he said.
Rahmad said if Karpal had been alive, he would not have agreed to DAP's collaboration with Dr Mahathir.
“He (Karpal) would have also spoken against his DAP colleagues and Pakatan Harapan if he had been alive.” he added.