Pubdate: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2010 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Michael Smyth, The Province LIBERAL FRIEND HIRED TO DISTRIBUTE SLEAZY PAMPHLETS Kash heed: Former solicitor-general's political career hangs in the balance as police continue investigation While someone was circulating illegal election pamphlets alleging that the NDP would legalize cocaine, heroin and prostitution, Kash Heed was making sure to present a very different image to the voters of Vancouver-Fraserview. Heed resigned as solicitor-general last week over a police investigation into the sleazy pamphlets that flooded the riding in the final days of last May's election. The flyers were aimed at the riding's large Chinese community, and alleged the NDP was "soft on crime" and would legalize prostitution and deadly narcotics. The pamphlets were toxic to the NDP in the Chinese community, where cracking down on gang warfare, drugs and violent criminals were critical election issues. Meanwhile, as the NDP were getting slimed in the illegal leaflets, Heed's official campaign was aggressively pushing the opposite message - - the one Chinese voters wanted to hear. "Kash Heed: Tough on Crime," proclaimed the Liberals' official campaign pamphlets, which featured a picture of Heed in a police uniform. Heed is a former chief of the West Van cops, and the picture of him in his uniform angered and frustrated NDP forces being painted as friends of criminals in the simultaneous slimefest. Under the Police Act, by the way, it's illegal for a police officer to use his position "for personal gain" or purposes unrelated to official duties - which may explain why the Liberals air-brushed out the West Vancouver police insignia from Heed's shoulder patch in the pamphlet photo. NDP candidate Gabriel Yiu said he confronted Heed about the altered photo during the campaign. "He avoided the question and kept saying I was smearing him," Yiu said Thursday. But the real smearing was going on in the illegal pamphlets flooding the riding. While the Liberals' official flyers showed Heed in a police uniform, the illegal anti-NDP flyers showed pictures of notorious Chinese underworld figures - like infamous loan shark Betty Yuan, gunned down in a Richmond gangland hit - and suggested the NDP would legalize drugs and facilitate crime. Yiu lost to Heed by just 748 votes. Now police are investigating whether the illegal pamphlets can be traced back to the Liberals. And there are already plenty of dots to connect. Elections B.C. has said the illegal pamphlets were delivered by Richmond's North American Mailing Service, a company that donated money to the Libs. Company owner Dinesh Khanna, also a Liberal donor, refused to say this week who hired his service, though he did say he's been interviewed by the police. "I gave [the RCMP] all the information," Khanna told CTV's Stephen Smart. Khanna has been lauded by Liberals in the B.C. legislature. In 2001, Liberal MLA Rob Nijjar praised "the undying, loyal support of Dinesh Khanna." And Liberal MLA Dave Hayer introduced Khanna in the legislature in 2007, noting the bulk-mail maestro was visiting the provincial capital with a police superintendent from India! Now it's up to our cops to crack a case of sleazy politics - while the career of Kash Heed, the Liberals' law-and-order star, hangs in the balance. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D