KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Veteran DAP politician Lim Kit Siang today said that Pakatan Harapan must defend its moral high ground by rejecting the ‘Melaka Four’. 

The ‘Melaka Four’ refers to the four Melaka state assemblymen who triggered the collapse of the state government. 

The four are Datuk Seri Idris Haron (former Sungai Udang assemblyman), Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor), Datuk Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) and Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu).

In a statement today, Lim said PH must distance itself from "kleptocrats, opportunists and crooks” and must maintain the moral high ground. 

"It has been said that to achieve victory in Malacca, we must tactically join with anyone that can give Pakatan Harapan victory. 

"If given the choice of victory by teaming with kleptocrats, opportunists and crooks or defeat by being consistent with political principles and integrity, I will opt for the latter. 

"Pakatan Harapan must not lose the moral high ground to allow three in the ‘immoral Melaka quartet’ to stand as Pakatan Harapan candidates in the Melaka state general election on November 20, 2021,’’ he said. 

Lim then reminded his peers in PH that the Melaka state elections is pertinent to signify the coalition’s seriousness to raise the moral tone of Malaysian politics. 

He said for nearly two years, ever since the Sheraton Move conspiracy which toppled a democratically-elected Pakatan Harapan government and snatched away the people’s mandate for the first time in Malaysian history, ushering in a backdoor, undemocratic and illegitimate government at the end of February 2020, a pall of immorality had been cast over Malaysian politics. 

"This is why the Malacca state general election has many significance and implications — one of which must be to restore and raise the moral tone of Malaysian politics.  

"Politics has been wrongly described as "dirty” but it is not politics which is dirty but dirty politicians who make politics "dirty”. 

"Politics throughout history is a noble path to serve humanity to take human beings to a higher plane of justice, freedom, equality and humanity.  But it has also been debased to serve the selfish interests of kleptocrats, opportunists and crooks to amass wealth and power for their own personal aggrandizement. 

"This is why I welcome the decision of the Pakatan Harapan presidential council rejecting the overtures of one of the four former Malacca state assemblymen who caused the Malacca state general election on Nov 20,” he said.