“We are open to all Malaysians and we have to fight the poison by BN and Umno who said that we are anti-Malay and anti-Islam. The fact is, we are just anti-rasuah (corruption),” he said.

“They are trying to racialize the issue so they don’t have to explain the RM 2.6 billion donation and the 1MDB scandal.”

In a blog posting yesterday, Sabah Umno’s Salleh Said Keruak, who is communications minister, said the DAP was more of a Chinese party because it lacked a sufficient Malay presence.

Lim acknowledged that the party membership was predominantly Chinese, but the party was working to increase its Malay membership. “It will be a painful process in order to take out the poison that was injected by Umno,” he said.

He claimed that a recent increase of Malay membership had caused Umno to feel uncomfortable, but reiterated that the party would continue its efforts.

Questions about the party’s Malay membership arose after a recent survey by Darul Ehsan Institute in Selangor showed that 72 per cent of respondents agreed that DAP was a racial party that only looked after the interests of the Chinese, and 64 per cent agreed that “DAP is an anti-Malay and anti-Islam party.”

READ MORE: Kit Siang to Umno: Dare to accept non-Malays?