by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, on Sunday, 13th December 1981
Call on the Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, and Foreign Minister, Tan Sri Ghazalie Shafie, to make seriously the attempt by Chan Teck Chan to sour-up Malaysia-Singapore relations on the ever of the Prime Minister’s official visit to Singapore
I call on the Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, and Foreign Minister, Tan Sri Ghazalie Shafie, to take seriously the attempt by Barisan MP, Chan Teck Chan, to sour up Malaysia-Singapore relations on the eve of the Prime Minister’s first official visit to Singapore next week.
In making the irresponsible allegation that I am a foreign agent, firstly of KGB, and now of Singapore, Chan Teck Chen is in fact also alleging that Singapore had violated Malaysia’s national sovereignty and committed a grave diplomatic breach in interfering in the internal affairs of Malaysia with the aim to subvert and destroy the country.
As Barisan leader, the Prime Minister should not allow any Barisan MP to make wild and irresponsible statements damaging to Malaysia’s relations with foreign countries, particularly Asean neighbors. The Prime Minister should call for proof from Chan Teck Chan or repudiate and condemn him for his gross irresponsibility in trying to embarrass the country and sour-up Malaysia-Singapore relations.
If Chan Teck Chan had evidence of Singapore’s interference in Malaysia’s internal affairs, in utter violation of the Asean spirit of good neighborliness and mutual respect for each others national sovereignty, then he should have submitted such evidence to the Barisan Nasional leaders and Prime Minister long ago – and not make such a new allegation when he could not produce evidence to prove his early charge that I am a KGM agent.
In fact, Chan Teck Chan should have realised that if he had such evidence, then, he had been grossly negligent and irresponsible in making such an allegation in the Malacca State Assembly which has such limited jurisdiction and clearly unable to deal with an allegation of such wide-ranging consequences involving not only Malaysia’s national security but also her international relations and her Asean role.
He should have made them to the government and Parliament, and the very fact he did not do so, shows the blamelessness of his allegation.
He had clearly embarrassed Malaysia and the Prime Minister on the coming visit to Singapore with such wild allegations.
As Chan Teck Chan’s allegation in the Malacca Assembly that I am firstly a KGB agent, and secondly, a Singapore agent, concern not only Malacca but also the national security and foreign relations of Malaysia, I call on the Prime Minister to render all federal government assistance to the Malacca Select Committee so that it could complete its work as early as possible. It is not in the national interest of Malaysia’s relations with other Asean countries for such allegations to hang in the air indefinitely.
Chan Teck Chan is now trying to hamper and obstruct the Malacca Select Committee’s work by throwing in new allegations not only involving other foreign countries but also other DAP leaders like National Chairmen, Dr. Chen Man Hin.
The Malacca Select Committe’s terms of reference are very specific which is to investigate into Chan Teck Chan ‘s allegation that I am a foreign agent, namely a KGB agent, as made by him in the Malacca State Assembly on September 29, 1981.
He wants to make it impossible now for the Select Committee to complete its work by throwing new allegations involving other DAP leaders outside Malacca, which are clearly outside the term of reference and jurisdiction of the Malacca Select Committee.
If Chan Teck Chan is really serious and responsible about his new charges against other DAP leaders, he should make them publicly outside the protection of assembly or parliamentary privilege. In such circumstances, the DAP will not only welcome a full scale national inquiry by the Federal Government into the allegations, but would also avail ourselves of legal avenues to vindicate our reputation.