MALAYSIANS must not allow the abuses of social media - lies, falsehoods and fake news -to take a new form in re-writing history as in denying the existence of Sheraton Move political conspiracy in February 2020 and to blame DAP for plotting the toppling of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad as prime minister (PM) of the then Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.

An attempt was made by the Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu (Peja) to use lies, falsehoods and fake news to rewrite such history which writer and veteran journalist Kee Thuan Chye has described in his Facebook as “the most ridiculous and dishonest thing” he ever heard.

The Sheraton Move political conspiracy was based on lies, falsehoods and fake news which included the wild and preposterous allegations that the PM was a “stooge” of DAP and that the Dr Mahathir government was “DAP-dominated”.

Dr Mahathir is on public record as stating that “All the talk about the DAP having me under their thumb or the DAP plotting to take over the country was utter nonsense” and he said that he never felt any pressure from the DAP when he was PM.

I attended the PH presidential council meeting on the night of Feb 21, 2020.

Dr Mahathir was told by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and other Bersatu leaders before the meeting that he would be asked to step down in May 2020 and that the former would be asked to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Deputy PM failing which he would be obliged to state the date of his relinquishment of the post of PM to Anwar.

None of this happened at the PH presidential council meeting.

There was no pressure on Dr Mahathir to step down at any time - he had full discretion to decide when he would retire although he indicated at the meeting that he would step down after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting at the end of the year (2020). (Editor’s note: Malaysia hosted the year-long APEC meetings from December 2019 until November 2020.)

I left the meeting thinking that Malaysia had survived a critical political test and was shocked when the Sheraton Move political conspiracy happened the following Sunday and Dr Mahathir was toppled thereafter as PH’s PM.

The Sheraton Move political conspiracy - built on lies, falsehoods and fake news that Mahathir was a DAP stooge and his government DAP-dominated - spawned two illegitimate and unconstitutional governments - the Muhyiddin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s governments.

We must not allow Bersatu spin-doctors and fraudsters to now rewrite history by denying that there was a Sheraton Move political conspiracy in February 2020 and to cleanse Muhyiddin and former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali of their historic sin by claiming that the DAP was plotting to topple Mahathir as PH’s PM. - May 28, 2023

Retired DAP supremo and former Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang, 82, has a colourful political career spanning 57 years. 

https://focusmalaysia.my/dont-let-bersatu-spin-doctors-fraudsters-deny-the-existence-of-sheraton-move/