Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, LIM KIT SIANG, in Penang on Thursday, 2/8/1984 at 11.30 a.m.
Call on Datuk Harris Salleh to publicly disclose all the companies on which he was director when he was Chief Minister.
The DAP have so far publicly disclosed, backed up with documentary proof from the Registry of Company records, that the Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Harris Salleh, had breached the Sabah State Constitution which prohibited the Chief Minister from taking active part in commercial entreprise, in at least three companies namely DUA BERSAUDARA SDN. BHD., EMPAT BERSAUDARI SDN. BHD., and SEJATI SDN. BHD.
These three companies were discovered by DAP MP for Sandakan, FUNG KET WING, when doing research work in connection with his case before the Committee of Privileges, about Datuk Harris Salleh’s Labuan land ownership, whether directly or through companies where he own shares or nominees.
The three companies we disclosed related to Harris Salleh’s companies where he had substantial shareholding related to Labuan landholdings, and do not refer to companies where Harris Salleh have substantial shareholdings, whether directly or through his family members, which have substantial landholdings outside Labuan.
As the Mahathir Government espouses a ‘Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy’ Government, and ‘Leadership by Example’, I call on Datuk Harris Salleh to publicly disclose all the companies where he had been a director, or still a director, during his tenure as Sabah Chief Minister.
Datuk Harris Salleh had been making periodic attack on Berjaya leaders for being dishonest and corrupt, and unless Datuk Harris Salleh makes a full public disclosure of his entire list of companies where he or his family members have shares, he cannot set a worse example himself.
I had yesterday accepted Datuk Harris Salleh’s challenge to repeat outside Parliament without privilege my entire speech on the Privileges Committee Report on FUNG-KET WING-HARRIS SALLEH, which lasted over one hour. In fact, I made two debates, one on the motion proper and the other on the amended motion. I hereby declare my readiness to repeat in their entirety both my speeches at the place, time and date of Datuk Harris’ choice, provided that it must be held at a public place where members of the public could witness the event.
2. DAP expresses grave concern at the Government’s action to revoke citizenship of 7,000 people.
The DAP is gravely concerned at the Malaysian Government’s action to revoke the citizenship of about 7,000 people as announced by the Deputy Home Affairs Minister, Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.
The Deputy Minister said that those who secretly visited communist countries like China without the knowledge of the authorities would also lose their citizenship.
From the Government’s record, the Government appears to be over-zealous and swift in wanting to revoke citizenship, but very tardy and protracted when processing citizenship, applications of deserving cases. I have come across many cases where applicants for citizenship are still waiting for a reply after more than 10 years!
The revocation of citizenship of those who secretly visited China is an over-reaction, and too heavy and unfair a penalty. The DAP supports the revocation of citizenship in cases where there is disloyalty, but it could not be argued that those who secretly visited China did so out of disloyalty to Malaysia. The over –whelming number of them did so out of curiosity, or inability to resist the temptation of travel agencies which offered them the opportunity to do so. They could be faulted for being foolish and short-sighted, but this is very far from being an act of disloyalty.
Nobody would object if the Government takes action against them for violating the law of the land, but to revoke their citizenship for such an offence without any other proof of disloyalty is unsupportable and must be opposed by all right-thinking Malaysians.
I call on the MCA and Gerakan Ministers to raise this matter as a matter of grave urgency at the Next Cabinet meeting on Wednesday on August 8.
3. The MCA Malacca fourth town branch deserves commendation for dissociating itself from the 5,000 – People Dinner on August 8 to demonstrate support for the Malacca Government’s plan to level and develop Bukit China.
The press today reported that one of the 52 Malacca MCA branches had dissociated itself from the 5,000 – People Dinner on August 8 to demonstrate support to the Malacca Chief Minister’s plan to level and develop Bukit China.
The Malacca MCA fourth town branch in dissociating itself from the 5,000 – People Dinner, said that they had never authorised TAN KOON SWAN faction in Malacca led by CHAN TECK CHAN, LIM SOO KIANG and NG PENG HUAY, to deal with the Bukit China issue.
I commend the MCA Malacca fourth town branch for its forthright stand, for it is public knowledge that CHAN TECK CHAN is the one misusing the name of the 52 branches to declare support for the Government’s plan to level and develop Bukit China. In fact, the Malacca Assemblyman NG PENG HUAY’S speech in the Malacca State Assembly on July 24, condemning the Bukit China trustees, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple committee, as ‘traitors of the race’ was written by Chan Teck Chan, even the statements of the State Exco, LIM SOO KIANG, are all the work of CHAN TECK CHAN.
I believe that there are more MCA Malacca branches, leaders and members, from the remaining 51 branches, who cannot agree to the way the CHAN TECK CHAN group had been trying to help destroy Bukit China, and I call on them to come out publicly to help save Bukit China from being destroyed. They must put the interests of the Chinese community above all factional interests.