He said police at Bukit Aman had said that Siti Mastura based her claim on information from Barisan Nasional election campaign materials. “I think that’s why they want to investigate me because I was the former Umno information chief,” said Isham in a Facebook video posted yesterday.

However, Isham clarified that BN’s communications department and Umno’s information department are two separate entities and that BN’s communications was not under his purview.

On Nov 16, Bersatu’s Wan Saiful Wan Jan claimed the alleged link between DAP and Chin Peng was started by BN through its campaign materials titled ‘BN Communications Campaign Material’.

He said DAP should also lodge a report against BN, its partner in the unity government, instead of selectively acting against Siti Mastura.

Siti Mastura, had caused controversy by alleging DAP’s Lim Guan Eng and Lim Kit Siang are blood relations of Chin Peng and the late Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Isham said the campaign materials being investigated were made before the November 2022 general election, but he was appointed as Umno’s information chief only after the general election, on Nov 20 last year after the resignation of Shahril Hamdan. He left office in March this year.

Isham advised Siti Mastura to cooperate with the police investigation and perform a fact-check before making any public statements. “Examine first before you make any statement,” said Isham.

Siti Mastura, who is deputy chief of the PAS women’s wing, was questioned by Bukit Aman police on Nov 14 after reports were lodged against her for the alleged DAP links with Lee and Chin Peng.

Siti Mastura, however, said she is still standing by her claims and added that she had given the reference material on which she had based her speech to the police.