CAMERON POLLS | DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang said party representatives have confirmed that PKR senator Bob Manolan Mohd had not made any threats to Orang Asli tok batin (village chiefs) in Cameron Highlands.

"I checked with DAP leaders, namely Deputy Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, Bentong MP Wong Tack, Sabah senator Adrian Lasimbang and Ketari assemblyperson Young Syefura Ahmad who were at the session on what actually happened.

"They confirmed that there were no threats (made) to the tok batins if they do not vote for Pakatan Harapan," Lim said in a statement today.

Bob Manolan yesterday said that the tok batin could lose their posts and income if they do not support the Harapan government.

He later clarified that he meant the village chiefs should not be involved with Umno while receiving an allowance from Putrajaya due to a conflict of interest.

However, he did not refer to his comment about depriving the tok batin of their posts or salaries, which was caught in an audio recording.

Several tok batin whom Malaysiakini spoke to were also outraged by the comments, which they said were belittling.

Lim said what struck him when he heard the recording were "the rounds of applause" when the PKR senator said tok batin who were Umno leaders should "choose whether they wanted to continue as tok batin and receive salaries from Putrajaya or local Umno heads".

Lim said if Bob Manolan had made threats to the tok batin, then it would be an election offence.

"Harapan will not copy the Umno-BN old politics of threats and corruption, and we will not hesitate to repudiate and condemn any politics of threats or corruption occurring under the roof of Harapan," he said.

Meanwhile, Lim challenged BN candidate Ramli Mohd Nor to prove his stance against corruption.

"Maybe Ramli can start the process by condemning the monstrous 1MBD corruption and money-laundering scandal and denouncing the Najib premiership for the national infamy...," he said.