It's either 'green wave' or 'Xi Jinping', Penang DAP man warns of 'emperor' undermining democracy

A Penang DAP leader has attacked an individual believed to be a very senior leader in his party, while describing recent warnings to Penangites about a "green wave" as a scare tactic.

Satees Muniandy, the incumbent for the Bagan Dalam state constituency, said the greater danger for Penang is a certain "emperor", whom he compared to a Chinese communist leader.

"The 'green wave' term is to scare the people. It is used to make the 'emperor' more powerful. You (voters) do not get the 'green wave', you get 'Xi Jinping'," Satees was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying, referring to the powerful leader of the Chinese Communist Party who has ruled China since 2013.

Satees' comments came a day after he was dropped from DAP's candidate line-up for Penang.

Satees implied that he was dropped from contesting at the Aug 12 polls due to his support for Chow Kon Yeow to remain in office.

He said the candidate list was dictated by a certain "emperor", adding that it was harmful to democracy.

"If you are in Penang, you would understand. Penang is a frontline state in Malaysia's democracy. What I'm doing is in the interest of the Penang state and Penangites! We do not need an Emperor in Penang; we need working democracy!" he later wrote on his Facebook page.

Earlier this month, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng courted controversy over his warning that the "green wave", a phrase used by party leaders to refer to Perikatan Nasional's inroads in the elections last year, would harm freedom of worship and other rights of non-Muslims.

The remarks triggered a string of police reports against Lim. The police have since said that an investigation into Lim's speech was nearing completion but have so far not announced if he would be charged.

The former chief minister, who relinquished his post in 2018 after he was moved to the federal Cabinet as the finance minister, has been retained as a candidate in DAP's Penang line-up, which also saw seven incumbents being dropped, including deputy chief minister P Ramasamy.