After taking a swipe at MCA, Zainuddin Maidin has now trained his guns on the party-owned English daily, The Star.

The former information minister urged MCA president Liow Tiong Lai (left) to re-look the newspaper's attitude so that it does not become the voice of enemies within.

He also claimed that the daily had acted against MCA and BN during the last two general elections.

"The treachery it committed in the 2008 and 2013 general elections by playing up several sensitive issues hurt MCA, Umno and BN, without the MCA leaders being aware.

"Or was this a joint effort (involving MCA leaders)?" he asked in his latest blog posting.

Zainuddin also claimed that The Star has, for a long time, been "playing in the hands" of DAP as well as an "extreme and dangerous" Christian denomination.

The former Utusan Malaysia editor-in-chief said this particular Christian denomination has been banned in Singapore, but the "weak" Malaysian government continues to allow it.

Zainuddin said that he has kept paper cuttings of the English-language daily's "mischievousness" and its "many faces".

"I also received valid information that on the night of the 2013 general election, (The Star) chief editor (which Zainuddin later amended to a 'top woman editor') was prepared to celebrate the fall of BN with her editorial comrades.

"But when BN returned to power, she went back into her office, looking embarrassed and sullen," he added.

Whatever said about Utusan Malaysia, Zainuddin pointed out, the Umno-owned daily has never been two-faced.

Contacted later, The Star managing director/chief-executive officer Wong Chun Wai said he "declines to comment on tirades".

Trading barbs

Previously, Zainuddin and MCA had traded barbs after MCA condemned Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for apparently justifying the bloody cow head left outside the house of DAP’s Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer.

He accused MCA of riding on DAP’s “anti-Malay” and “anti-Umno” ticket, despite its leaders being appointed as ministers.

In return, MCA’s religious harmony bureau chief Ti Lian Ker said statements from Umno leaders like Zainuddin give a “false impression” of Umno and undermine BN’s efforts to regain votes, while its youth chief accused Zainuddin of being “outdated”. 

Today, Zainuddin asked who is it who is outdated, given that MCA is portraying itself as a DAP copycat.

“There is no need to ride on the popularity of DAP’s racial issues that hurt the feelings of the Malays, poison the minds of the people, violate the principles of the social contract and murders MCA’s character.

“This act does not contribute to MCA’s transformation but instead shows a lack of unity and consensus within BN,” he said.

Zainuddin added that he himself does not condone Zahid’s statement, but questioned whether MCA should have joined DAP in condemning Zahid.

With friends like Zam, MCA doesn't need enemies