Battle of scandals: Guan Eng vs Soi Lek
In declaring his fidelity and denying his wife assaulted him or the other woman, the DAP leader slips in an attack against the MCA president, who then retaliates.
RK Anand, FMT
In the latest chapter of the tussle between DAP and MCA, Lim Guan Eng has been accused of sharing an intimate relationship with a former staff and thus earning the wrath of his wife.
His enraged wife Kota Laksamana (Malacca) assemblywoman Betty Chew, alluded MCA, had then assaulted both Lim and the woman, who had since been transferred.
In a media statement this afternoon, the DAP secretary-general denied the allegation that his wife had beaten him or the woman.
Launching a vitriolic salvo against his opponents, Lim, who denied indulging in an extra-marital affair, also seized the opportunity to revisit MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s scandalous past.
He dared Malacca MCA chairman Gan Tian Loo, who raised the matter in the state assembly on Monday, to repeat his claim outside the House without hiding behind the cloak of immunity.
Lim said this would allow his wife and him to drag Gan to court and prove that he (Lim) was not like the MCA president.
“DAP never indulges in gutter politics,” he pointed out.
“DAP never abused parliamentary privilege and proceedings to attack the MCA president when he was caught in a video tape having an extra-marital affair with another woman,” he added.
Lim regretted that while DAP chose to exercise restraint, MCA was willing to stoop low.
Taking another swipe at the MCA president, the Penang chief minister said he would not ask Chua to direct Gan to repeat his allegation outside the House since the former had no moral authority to do so given his own scandal.
Instead, he wanted Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to issue the order.
Training his guns on Gan, Lim said if the latter failed to repeat his allegation, it would prove that he was a coward who was unfit to be a leader.
“Worse, he will show himself unworthy to be a husband and father… who can make false allegations against another to destroy not just his political career but also the family’s happiness.
“What kind of leader is Gan when he is willing to be used as a lackey of Umno to play such gutter politics?” he asked.
Chua: I have courage, you don’t
Retaliating, the MCA president agreed that Lim was not like him as there was a stark difference between the two, which was courage.
“I have the courage to be responsible and bear the consequences [for my actions],” he said in a media statement.
Chua asked if Lim would be brave enough to admit his mistake, apologise and resign from his posts as he did.