Final portion of Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in the Dewan Rakyat on the Motion of Thanks on Wednesday, 28.2.1990
Anwar protests too much about his stand on the Vijandran issue, when he was the Minister who gave full support to Vijandran to expel Karpal Singh from Dewan Rakyat for raising the Vijandran pornographic videotapes scandal last December
Finally, I want to refer to today’s press reports about yesterday’s parliamentary proceedings, which gave big publicity to the allegation by the Education Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, that I am raising the issue of the Vijandran issue for sheer publicity and in particular his allegation that I was immoral in raising this issue in yesterday’s parliamentary debate.
This is the typical Barisan mentality, which is now fully mastered by Anwar Ibrahim. Under the Barisan government, the corrupt has not committed a crime, only those who expose the corruption. Now we are told that those involved in pornographic scandals have not done anything very immoral compared to the critics, particularly those who criticise the lack of political morality of the government on the issue.
I regret that for a Minister who regards himself as the guardian of morality of the Barisan Nasional, he could not distinguish the issues involving the political morality of the Government, the Cabinet (including himself) and the Prime Minister.
Anwar Ibrahim does protest too much, wanting to give the impression that he would not support anyone in the wrong, when he was the Minister who gave full support to D.P. Vijandran to expel the DAP MP for Jelutong, Karpal Singh, from Parliament when Karpal raised the Vijandran pornographic videotapes scandal last December.
The reason why Anwar Ibrahim is trying to give an impression that he is a great moral champion in the House yesterday, was because he is trying to live down his 100 per cent support of D.P. Vijandran in early December.
The issue of Vijandran is not secondary. What is at issue is, firstly, what is the stand of the Cabinet, including Anwar Ibrahim, on the destruction of the Vijandran videotapes, pictures and negatives by the Attorney-General. Do they agree that it is right or wrong, an bona fide exercise of power or an abuse of power. By their silence, the Cabinet, including Anwar Ibrahim, is giving retrospective endorsement to the destruction of the Vijandran videotapes, photographs and negatives.
Secondly, why is the Cabinet, including Anwar Ibrhaim, afraid to find out from the Attorney-General and the Police, the nature of the contents of the Vijandran videotapes, pictures and negatives, as to whether they are pornographic or not? Is it because they have reason to be afraid that if they officially ask, they would be officially told that they are pornographic and featured Vijandran as main actor?
Thirdly, can Anwar Ibrahim and every Cabinet Ministers swear a statement on oath that none of them know, whether directly or indirectly, about the contents of the videotapes, pictures and negatives, and that none of them had seen it? How did the MCA Deputy President and Minister of Housing, Lee Kim Sai, know that the Barisan Nasional logo is not shown on the Vijandran videotapes if he had not seen it?
Fourthly, for a person who want to pose himself as a moral champion and accusing others of moral hypocrisy, is it moral and honest for him to say that the matter should be left for the courts to decide, when he knows that the Attorney-General had destroyed the vital evidence to prove the truth of the allegations about the Vijandran pornographic videotapes scandal? Who is being hypocritical?
I regret that the Education Minister, who is in charge of the moral education and upbringing of the new generation of Malaysians, does now know what is morally right or morally wrong. He should know that he is setting the worst example of morality for the young generation of Malaysians students – giving full support to Vijandran last December to expel Karpal Singh, and now making wild allegations about the DAP being immoral when we questioned the lack of political morality of the government in handling the whole question.
Let me only said that if I had been immoral in raising the issue of political morality of the government in the Vijandran issue in Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Anwar Ibrahim was also in fact accusing the Speaker, Tan Sri Zahir Ismail, of being immoral in allowing me to speak on the subject. At this rate, the only person who is moral will be Anwar himself – and may be, this is why he gave full support to Vijandran last December!