Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh, who is acting as legal counsel for DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, has called on police to investigate former inspector-general of police Mohammed Hanif Omar under the Sedition Act 1948.

This was in relation to Hanif's claim that the DAP had in the past asked for Peninsular Malaysia to be divided into two – one for Malays and another for Chinese.

"I also urge the police to investigate Hanif for sedition, as there can be no doubt that his statement has a tendency to pit one race against another, namely the Malays against the Chinese.

"I wish to reiterate Lim’s instructions that Hanif’s allegations are utterly baseless and were made with the sole intention of discrediting Lim, which has subjected him to unwarranted public odium," he said in a statement today.

Read more: Time's up - Kit Siang to sue ex-IGP for 'DAP split Malaysia' claim

Ramkarpal, who is also the DAP legal bureau chairperson, said he will be issuing a letter of demand to Hanif on Wednesday after the latter did not apologise for his comment.

Hanif was on Thursday quoted by Sinar Harian as saying that the DAP wanted to split Peninsular Malaysia along racial lines and his response was by putting Lim behind bars.

"At that time, the Alliance formed BN because the country was on the brink of destruction. DAP suggested that Peninsular Malaysia is split into two, East Coast for the Malays and the West Coast for the Chinese.

"What was my answer? I put Lim Kit Siang in prison.

"He was in (detention) for two years. That was Hanif's way when I was the inspector-general of police," he was quoted as saying by the Malay daily.