DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang should ask his son Guan Eng step down as Penang chief minister in view of the latter's corruption trial, said prime minister's press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad.

In a press release today, Tengku Sariffuddin referred to Guan Eng as "Penang Official 1".

He said that until Kit Siang does so, the public would not take the latter's demands on seriously.

He also urged Kit Siang to stop using other issues to divert public attention from investigations on Bank Negara's losses at the foreign exchange market in the early 1990s.

"Instead, he should reveal the wrong doings by (Dr) Mahathir Mohamad on this matter, which led to alleged losses of US$10 billion (RM42 billion) of tax payers' money.

"After decades of calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry, Kit Siang's new-found silence on this issue and his new alliance with his former jailor Mahathir – all for the sake of political expediency – exposes the nature of the man, his lack of principles and integrity, and his unquenchable thirst for power over Malaysia," he said.

Tengku Sariffuddin also said that in this day and age, people have no respect for a dictator, whether self-confessed like Dr Mahathir or "dictators-in-denial like Kit Siang".

"Hence any statements by Kit Siang are self serving and cannot be trusted or believed," he said.

According to Tengku Sariffuddin, Kit Siang should stop trying to hide that DAP has by far the most opposition seats, and "therefore in reality calls the shots behind the scenes".

He said as DAP was the clear opposition leader, Malaysians need to know who Kit Siang will nominate to be prime minister if the opposition wins the next general election.

"Kit Siang must come clean on his choice for PM, as it is the right of the people to know who they will be ruled by if they vote for the opposition. A Kit Siang and DAP-led government would be a disaster for Malaysia and the people," he said.

Guan Eng is facing two charges of corruption in relation to conversion of land from agricultural zone to residential, purchase of plots of land and a bungalow below market price.

- Bernama