My family and I are upset at the statement made by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Sibu yesterday, dragging my daughter into his latest spin that the National Service (NS) training programme is now widely accepted and trusted by parents for the positive effect it has on their children. Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid claimed that both my father and me had seen how my daughter had changed for the better after attending the programme in Balik Pulau NS camp in Penang.
This is untrue. My daughter is a good kid and is the same before and after joining the NS Camp. Both my father and I had never told the Defence Minister as claimed by him and neither had we thanked him for it.
My daughter was selected to join the NS Camp for the 2008-9 session and she had duly complied. We have never talked about my daughter’s experiences, good or bad in NS, because she is still under 21 and a student who is not involved in politics.
My family and I love our daughter and want to protect her privacy. We have shielded her from the glare of publicity so that she can grow up and enjoy life with her friends as a normal kid. We hope that Datuk Seri Ahmad can respect my daughter’s privacy and not drag her into his political games to justify the NS programme.
If children of politicians venture into public life involving public interest, then they are subject to public scrutiny. However for BN leaders to try to use my children as political capital to boost BN when they are still studying and not involved in public life is wrong and regrettable.
This is not the first time that my children have been unfairly targeted by BN and UMNO leaders. Last year, my 15 year old son was defamed by UMNO leaders and UMNO Online for sexually molesting his classmate and that I have to pay RM200,000 to cover-up the scandal and transfer my son to another school. A picture of the alleged girl victim of my son was even put up by the UMNO blogs.
This cruel and barbaric lie by UMNO against my minor son was quickly exposed when the picture of the girl victim was discovered to be a fake and belonged to a Hong Kong chess grandmaster who had never met me or my son. So far no UMNO leaders had apologised to my son and me for this vicious lie that had caused my son to miss school for 2 days.
I urge UMNO and BN leaders to throw your lies at me if you must but please leave my children alone. They are still studying and are not in politics. By continuing to drag my children with lies or misrepresentation, is an act of desperation that shows their lack of moral values and absence of ethical judgment. Have BN and UMNO leaders run of ideas and ideals that their only political capital is to preach lies and hate not only against PR leaders but also at our children?
Lim Guan Eng
—Mandarin Translation —
民主行动党秘书长兼槟州首席部长林冠英于2012年1月28日在吉隆坡发表声明：
国阵及巫统领袖若要继续散布谎言及仇恨，尽管针对我个人，别再将我尚在求学中的孩子拖下水！
我的家人和我对于国防部长拿督斯里阿末查希哈米迪昨日在诗巫发表的声明感到难过，他针对国民服务计划已经被广泛接受、由于对孩子起正面影响而获家长信赖的宣传，把我的女儿卷入其中。拿督斯里阿末查希声称，我的父亲和我可以看到，我的女儿在参加了槟城浮罗山背的国民服务计划后，如何变得更好。
这是不确实的。我的女儿在参加国民服务计划之前或之后，一直都是好孩子。我的父亲和我，从来没有像国防部长所说的感激过他。
我的女儿被抽中参加了2008至2009年届的国民服务计划，她也按时履行了义务。我们从来没有谈论我女儿在国民服务计划中的好或坏的经验，因为她还未满21岁，还是未参政的学生。
我的家人和我都疼爱我们的女儿，希望保护她的隐私。我们不让她在公众的注目中长大，就是希望她可以跟正常的小孩一样，和她的朋友一起快乐地长大。我希望拿督斯里阿末可以尊重我女儿的隐私，不要把她卷入他的政治游戏，来合理化国民服务计划。
一旦政治人物的子女走进涉及公众利益的公众人物生活，那么他们就必遭受公众审查的眼光。但是，当孩子们还在读书、未涉入公众人物的生活，国阵领袖想要利用我的孩子做为抬高国阵的政治资本，这是大错特错的。
这已经不是第一次，我的孩子不公平地成为国阵和巫统领袖的箭靶。去年，我15岁的儿子被巫统领袖及UMNO Online诬蔑，指他性侵同学，我付了20万令吉的遮口费并安排他转校。巫统甚至上载了一张女生的照片，诬指照片中的女生就是遭我儿子性侵的受害者。
巫统的残酷谎言很快地就被揭穿了，很快地就有人发现，上述照片中的“女受害者”是无中生有的，照片中的人物是香港的西洋棋手，她从来没有见过我、也没有见过我的儿子。至今为止，还没有任何一名巫统领袖对我或我的儿子道歉，他们这种恶毒的谎言还导致我的儿子没有上学两天。
国阵及巫统领袖，如果你们要继续散布谎言及仇恨，尽管针对我个人，别再将我尚在求学中的孩子拖下水。他们还在上学、也还没有涉足政治。国阵领袖不断地把我的孩子卷入谎言或错误言论中，一再证明他们已经丧失道德价值观、也缺乏了伦理判断能力。国阵或巫统领袖是不是黔驴技穷，只剩谎言和仇恨，不只针对民联领袖，还要针对我们的子女？
林冠英