Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng In DAP Headquarters In Kuala Lumpur On 18.4.2013

DAP will use the PAS symbol in Peninsular Malaysia and the PKR symbol in Sabah & Sarawak for the 13th general elections unless the Registrar of Societies (ROS)’s cowardly and dastardly attempt to assassinate the Rocket is withdrawn by revoking its 17 April 2013 letter not recognising the office-bearers of the Central Executive Committee(CEC).

By not recognising the office-bearers of the CEC elected by the delegates on 15 December 2012, I have no power to issue authorisation letters in my official capacity as Secretary-General to DAP candidates to use the Rocket symbol.

The DAP CEC in its meeting tonight (18.4.2013) decided that ROS must revoke its letter not recognising the office-bearers in the CEC by 3pm tomorrow on Friday.

Failure to do so will result in the DAP directing its 53 parliamentary candidates and 103 state candidates throughout the country to contest in the next general elections under the PAS symbol in Peninsular Malaysia and the PKR symbol in Sabah and Sarawak.

There is no point in relying on assurances given by the Election Commission(EC) that DAP can still use our Rocket symbol when the EC possesses a sad record of broken promises that has caused the entire electoral process to be neither free, fair, independent nor neutral.

For the ROS to issue this letter 48 hours before nomination day on 20 April 2013 is clearly intended to kill off DAP’s electoral prospects by forcing all DAP candidates to be independent.

Using the ridiculous excuse that no proper notice was sent out resulting in 753 delegates not attending the Party National Congress is illogical and irrational as then all party national conventions that does not have 100% attendance should also be taken action. Why only the DAP but not other political parties in BN?

Clearly ROS intends to assassinate the Rocket to fulfill the grand design of BN to take out the DAP from contending in the general elections.

Knowing that BN component parties will be facing a stern challenge from DAP candidates, BN has adopted the shameful and dirty approach of preventing DAP from contesting by using our beloved Rocket symbol. Such desperate attempts to win by BN is victory without honour and makes a mockery of the entire electoral process.

If ROS refuses to withdraw this letter, then the whole electoral process in the 13th General Elections will be both flawed and fraudulent if DAP can not be allowed to use the Rocket.

The DAP CEC urges all party leaders, members and supporters to be calm and let the anger of such disgraceful underhand tacticsbe reflected strongly in the ballot box on 5 May 2013.