KUCHING, May 3: Democratic Action Party (DAP) is crying foul over underhand tactics used by their opponent by printing campaign materials resembling DAP banners to confuse voters over Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto to abolish GST.
A banner was discovered adjacent to DAP’s banner, using the identical red colour, with the Chinese wording “Pakatan Harapan Manifesto” at top left and Pakatan Harapan component parties’ logos below it.
Written in Chinese, the words read as “Abolish 6 per cent GST; Implement 16 per cent SST”, which was spotted by one of DAP’s supporters in Padungan area and brought to the attention of the party leaders.
Upon closer look, the name of the publisher was discovered printed in a small line underneath the main message, and it stated the banner was published by Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) with the party’s address along with it.
“This is outright the behaviour of liars. I am very disappointed with (SUPP candidate for Stampin Datuk Dr) Sim Kui Hian as a professional, a specialist, a minister, and yet he resorts to such underhand tactics, and he has the cheek to claim that he wants to have a fair and clean election,” DAP candidate for Stampin Chong Chieng Jen told a press conference today.
Chong said that while it is true Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto is to abolish GST and to bring back the previous SST, there are huge difference between the two.
He explained that the total collection of GST from Rakyat is about RM40 billion and the total collection of SST is only about half of it.
He said the previous SST system consists of 6 per cent service tax and 10 per cent on certain goods and he questioned how SUPP came out with the figure of 16 per cent to create a false story to confuse voters.
Moreover, he pointed out that nearly 90 per cent of goods are subject to GST, but only five to 10 per cent of the goods are subject to SST, and SST is based on the price of goods at cost as compared to GST’s tax on final price.
“This is the typical passing-off, misrepresentation, one of the most despicable act in marketing,” said the state Pakatan Harapan chairman, who expressed his disguest at this unethical campaign. An official complaint has been lodged with the Election Commission.
Another underhand tactic discovered, according to Chong, was campaigning in a school compound at 10th Mile, Jalan Penrissen here.
During an earth-breaking ceremony at the school attended by SUPP leaders, vehicles with SUPP campaign logos were spotted in the school compound.
The SUPP vehicles left when DAP members went to take photos of the vehicles.
Meanwhile, Chong said Pakatan Harapan will review all the contracts signed with China counterparts when they take over Putrajaya to make sure the terms and conditions are beneficial to Malaysians. — DayakDaily
