Ramkarpal Singh has questioned how Pakatan Harapan could ever work with Rahim Thamby Chik, when the former Malacca chief minister is already threatening members even before being accepted into the coalition.
The DAP lawmaker was responding to Rahim saying that he was considering suing Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong for claiming that he was a scandal-plagued leader and urging Bersatu to reject his application to join the party.
"Rahim should think twice before threatening to sue Harapan representatives for raising their concerns over his application for membership into the coalition.
"Rahim’s threat to sue Khoo is unnecessary and can be seen as an attempt to silence criticism of former Umno members joining Harapan.
"Even before he has been accepted into Harapan, he is threatening its members. How do you work with people like this?" the Bukit Gelugor MP said in a statement today.
'Like Kit Siang joining MCA'
On Sunday, Rahim announced that he was quitting Umno and submitted his application to join Bersatu.
Ramkarpal said this would be akin to DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang applying to join MCA in 1995.
"Do you think Umno would have kept quiet? Bersatu should condemn Rahim’s threat and turn down his application on this ground alone, in the spirit of Harapan unity.
"It is only natural for Harapan representatives to be suspicious of former Umno members joining the coalition.
"We do not need to be threatened for expressing such concerns," he said.
Rahim, who served as the sixth Malacca chief minister for 12 years, was investigated for statutory rape of a minor in 1994. The case was later dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, the Kota Melaka MP at the time, had criticised the government for not acting against Rahim.
Lim was subsequently jailed under the Sedition Act 1948 and Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
Rahim later sued the DAP for the statutory rape allegation, prompting the party to retract its statement, citing subsequent developments where the accuser retracted the allegation.
He withdrew the suit after DAP's admission. Despite the accusation, he was never convicted.
Rahim was also part of the 'Datuk Trio' group who screened a sex video to journalists in 2011.
They had claimed the video was of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim allegedly engaging a prostitute. Anwar had denied the allegation.
Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had said Rahim's application did not mean he would be automatically accepted into Bersatu, stating that there is a vetting process.
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