Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary- General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, at the DAP dinner in Batu Gajah to honour 1 Sdr. Chua Heng Kai and Sdr. Chan Kok Kit on their unconditional release after 4 years and 9 months of detention under the Internal Security Act on Saturday, Sept. at 8 pm.
Call on Registrar of Companies, Haji Zulkifli Mahmood, to explain what action he has taken against Cerdik Holdings Bhd. For violating the Companies Act in inviting public subscription to its shares without a registered prospectus.
With the accession of Dr. Mahathir and Datuk Musa as Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, one of the early themes of their administration is for a clean, honest and incorrupt government and political leadership.
This is not the first time that in Malaysian, there has been a high-level campaign for a clean, honest and incorrupt government, but whether it would end up like previous campaigns with no visible impact or even check on rising corruption in the country, only time will tell.
What is significant however is that this campaign for a clean, honest and incorrupt government and political leadership appears to be rather lop-sided. It is driven by the UMNO leadership of Dr. Mahathir and Datuk Musa, but ignored or disregarded by the MCA leadership of Datuk Lee San Choon.
Why are the MCA Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries so shy about talking a stand in demanding a clean, honest and incorrupt political leadership? The MCA leaders have a reason for being so shy about being in the for efront of the campaign for a clean, honest, incorrupt political leadership. They know the entire campaign will suffer from a serious credibility gap if MCA leaders also talk about the need for a clean, honest and incorrupt political leadership.
MCA political leaders are breaking laws and regulations which are designed to protect the people from exploitation and being cheated. A good example is the way the MCA officials capitalized on the’ holdings share’ craze recently.
In Perak for instance, three MCA officials formed a $2 paid-up capital company, by the name of Cerdik Holdings Bhd., with an authorized capital of $50 million.
The three original subscriber-directions, who have $1 share each, are:
• Chan Kit Chee, MCA Perak Youth leader of 1 Regat Wah Keong. Ipoh;
• Tan Tiew Bock, MCA National Vanguard Director, of 20, Tingkat Pasir Puteh Empat, Taman Yik Sang, Ipoh;
• Shu Kok Shian @ Hu Soo Neng, MCA headquarters official, of 6 Jalan 71, Kepong Baru, Kuala Lumpur.
In open breach of the Company Act with requires a registered prospectus with the Registrar of Company before any company could invite public subscription of shares, the Cerdik Holdings Bhd. Openly invited shares hoping to reach the authorized capital of $50 million.
How can MCA officials, like those who formed the Cerdik Holdings Bhd., convince the people if they are in the forefront declaring the need for a honest, clean and incorrupt political leadership, when they by their actions, showed therwise?
I reported the case of Cerdik Holdings Bhd, and its violation of the Companies Act, to the Registrar of Companies, Haji Zulkifli Mahmood, on July 2, but two months have passed, and nothing appears to have been done by the Registrar of Companies to check and punish company abuses, especially by those holding political positions.
I call on the Registrar of Companies to explain what action has been taken by him and his officers against Cerdik Holdings Bhd. And others which I reported to him too which openly violated the law in inviting and accepting public subscription to its shares without a prospectus registered with the Registrar.
I had also drawn the attention of the new Minister of Trade and Industry, Tengku Rithaudeen, when I made a courtesy call on him just before National Day, specially mentioning the case of Cerdik Holdings Bhd. Tengku Rithaudeen said he was new in the ministry and would look into my complaint.
I call on the Trade and Industry Minister, Tengku Rithaudeen, to enforce the law and ensure that laws meant to protect the public from the unscrupulous, especially those using their political influence, should be rigorously observed.
I will be raising the case of Cerdik Holdings Bhd. In the coming meeting of Parliament.
DAP thanks the voters of Batu Gajah for their continuing faith and support in Chian Heng Kai and DAP.
We are here tonight to honour Chian Heng Kai, MP for Batu Gajah, and Chan Kok Kit, Mp for Sungei Besi, for their indomitable spirit to resist all attempts to break their political spirit and will and their refusal to surrender to the forces of intimidation.
During his detention, the people of Batu Gajah continued to demonstrate their support and faith in the DAP and Chian Heng Kai, as shown by Heng Kai’s 1978 general elections victory although he was all the time in detention.
In voting for Chian Heng Kai, the people of Batu Gajah knew that Heng Kai cannot come out to serve them. The reason the people of Batu Gajah voted for Heng Kai is to let the government, the country and the world know that the cause for which Heng Kai had been detained, the cause of Chinese education, has the support not only one of one man or one party, but even more important, of the ordinary people as demonstrated by the votes.
The DAP and the people in other parts of Malaysia pay tribute to the votes of Batu Gajah, just as we pay tribute to the people of Sungei Besi and Pasir Puteh, for by demonstrating in so unequivocal a fashion, they have made a great contribution to achieve for Chinese education its rightful place in he country.
So long as in our country there are political leaders like Chian Heng Kai and Cha Kok Kit, and constituencies like Batu Gajah, Sungei Besi and Pasir Puteh, then there is hope for Chinese education to achieve its rightful place in Malaysia.
The DAP is dedicated to the democratic, constitutional struggle to bring about political changes by peaceful means. But DAP leaders are prepared to pay the price of their political conviction, and face detention without trial so that the cause for which we fight for can live. I want, on behalf of the Party, thank the people of Batu Gajah and salute them for their great political contribution to the struggle to bring about a democratic socialist, Malaysian Malaysia.