by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Malacca, on Wednesday, 4.1.1984:
DAP urges Dr. Mahathir Mohamed to accede to public will to have Royal Commission of Inquiry into BMF scandal
The DAP calls on the Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to honour and accede to the public will in Malaysia that there should be a full-fledged Royal Commission of Inquiry into the $2,500 million Bumiputra Malaysia Finance scandal held in public session to get to the bottom of the greatest financial and banking scandal in Malaysian history.
During the constitutional crisis in the last few months, the Prime Minister said that the will of the people in Malaysia is supreme. The DAP urges the Prime Minister to accede to the wishes of the people in all matters of public interest, and there is no doubt that in the BMF scandal, there is the widest national consensus that there should be a no-holds-barred public and independent inquiry into this scandal.
The DAP is very disturbed by various recent reports which seem to indicate that Dr. Mahathir would be announcing an investigation team
which would not be vested with the fullest powers to conduct a wide-ranging public inquiry into the BMF scandal, and which would be answerable to the Malaysian nation, and not just to the government of the day or to the Prime Minister himself.
The DAP wants to make it very clear that it would reject any investigation body which is not given the fullest powers of independent and public investigation into the BMF scandal, for such an investigation must have the powers and the courage to investigate even the Prime Minister’s role if any in the BMF scandal.
Why 1984 Constitution Amendment Bills is not ready for circulation to MPs who have to debate it on Monday?
Parliament has been summoned into special session on Monday, 9th January 1984, for the 1984 Constitution Amendment Bill, but up till today, MPs have not received a copy of this Bill for study.
As this Bill was supposed to be the subject of a compromise formula between the Rulers and the UMNO leadership reached on 15th December 1983, there is no reason why MPs should not be given the 1984 Constitutional Amendment Bill earlier for study, unless the Government only wants the 1984 Bill to be rubber-stamped without independent Parliamentary consideration and debate. The Government is again treating Parliament with contempt when MPs should be given ample time to study the contents of the 1984 Constitution Amendment Bill.
Dap Central Executive Committee to meet in Petaling Jaya on Sunday
The DAP Central Executive Committee would hold on important meeting on Sunday, 8th January 1984 in Petaling Jaya to review the party and political developments in the past 12 months, as well as make plans for the next 12 months.
The DAP CEC would receive and consider a report from the Sarawak State DAP Committee on the recent Sarawak State General Elections where the DAP failed to make a breakthrough in the State general elections.
The DAP Central Executive Committee would also discuss the 1984 Constitutional Amendment Bill and the $2,500 million BMF scandal, as well as the proposed delineation of parliamentary and state assembly constituencies announced by the Elections Commissions yesterday.