Lim: Pakatan has to expose BN's deceits, or else...

Pakatan Rakyat must expose the 'deficits, debts and deceits' or 3Ds of the BN or face a disastrous general election, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng warns.

If Pakatan failed to expose the 3Ds, the BN could even be able to win back the two-thirds majority in Parliament it had been enjoying for so long, Lim who is also DAP secretary-general, said in a statement today.

BN knows that the critical issues in the coming polls are its handling of the economy, how the people's cost of living can be reduced and their economic livelihood improved, he said.

"Tied to whether BN can help the people economically is its management of the federal government debt and budget deficit, which some have traced to its failure to address the menace of corruption," he added.

Lim said he has asked DAP economic researchers led by publicity secretary and MP for Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua (left) to work closely with the GE preparatory team led by DAP vice-chairperson and MP for Cheras Tan Kok Wai to expose BN's cover-ups.

'BN's successful cover-up'

Lim was referring to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's indication that GE can be called any time soon.

He said Najib's statement comes with his confidence that the BN has been successful in "covering up" its 3Ds - deficits, debts and deceits.

Lim said BN has given up on trying to persuade the public that it is serious about fighting corruption.

However, BN is more successful in "deceiving" the public that the menace of corruption has not adversely affected the economy, especially the federal government's debt and deficit, he added.

He cited two cases to back his argument - the RM250 million National Feedlot "cows and condos" scandal involving the family of Umno Wanita chief Sharizat Abdul Jalil and Malaysia's decline from No 37 in 2003 to No 60 in last year's Transparency International corruption rankings.

Lim also said that unlike Pakatan state governments that have provided social assistance from budget surpluses achieved over the four years they have been in power, the BN was giving out cash handouts from budget deficits it has been incurring for the last 15 years.

A result of budget surpluses, the Pakatan state governments need not borrow to spend on social programmes for the people, unlike BN.

The BN's bad performance could also be seen from the federal government debt increasing by 71 percent, from RM266 billion at the end of 2007 to RM456 billion at the end of last year, he said.

"Malaysians must remember that there is a day of reckoning for debts borrowed to be repaid. Ultimately, the ordinary people are the ones to pay for all these debts, particularly when Malaysia goes bankrupt," Lim warned.

Dramatic drop in Pakatan state debts

Lim said the debts of the Pakatan state governments have "dropped dramatically", just as the BN federal government debt has soared.

In Penang, the state government debt has been cut by 95 percent, from RM630 million in 2008 to RM30 million by end of last year.

"Unfortunately Pakatan's debt reduction success compared to BN's piling debts have not been communicated to the public as a result of the latter's successful campaign of deceit," Lim added.