On politics, the UMNO campaign targets the role of foreign elements in destabilising the country and sedition; on religion, the UMNO focuses on the explanation involving hudud law, allegations of government cruelty, gambling, usury and the role of women; and on the economy, explanations are on issues including measures taken by the government to stabilise the ringgit, infrastructure development, capital control, shares, investment and manpower.
If the UMNO Ops 7M is really to expose lies and falsehoods, it will have full DAP support. Unfortunately, the UMNO Ops 7M is a mere cover for UMNO to launch a nation-wide campaign of lies and falsehoods against the Opposition.
The UMNO Ops 7M is a central plank of the UMNO/Barisan Nasional strategy to make the next general election the "dirtiest" in the nation’s history.
UMNO Secretary-General Tan Sri Khalil Yaakob said UMNO is prepared to hold public debates in its efforts to counter lies and misinformation by the Opposition.
DAP accepts the UMNO challenge to public debates as we want to expose Barisan Nasional lies and falsehoods, and we welcome and even challenge UMNO to list the lies, falsehoods and misinformation which the DAP had told about UMNO.
The DAP’s public debates with UMNO will only be confined to politics and economics - and we notice a glaring omission from the briefs UMNO information chiefs had been given, with no reference whatsoever given to KKN, corruption, cronyism and nepotism - and not about religion.
The public debates should be telecast live and open to the public - in circumstances where the public debates would be conducted in a orderly, decent and civilised manner.
(9/11/99)