Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at a Press Conference in Malacca on Wednesday, 15.8.1984 at 11 a.m.
The more Lee Kim Sai talks about Bukit China, the more he show his ignorance – why is he now ‘last to know, last to be aware?’
In the New Straits Times today, Datuk Lee Kim Sai urged me to spell out the DAP’s plans for solving the Bukit China issue instead of ‘shouting slogans everywhere’.
Every time Datuk Lee Kim Sai opens his mouth and talk about Bukit China, every time he shows his ignorance on the matter.
The DAP’s stand on Bukit China had been clearly spelt out right from the beginning. In fact, as far back as on July 8, at the DAP 3000 people dinner, I made the DAP’s stand very clear: that it is the Chinese community and its trustees for Bukit China, the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple Committee, which must decide on the future of the 500-year-old cemetry hill, that all forms of government pressure to compel Cheng Hoon Teng Temple to force it to yield to the government’s plan for development must be opposed.
It is now no more surprise to me that Lee Kim Sai does not know that the DAP had made its stand on the solving of Bukit China issue right from the start, but he should not publicly exhibit his ignorance in so thick-skinned a fashion.
This is why I had said earlier that Lee Kim Sai and Tan Koon Swan’s speeches at the August 8, phantom ‘5,000 People’ dinner in Malacca was and ignorant and ridiculous.
In his August 8, phantom ‘5,000-People’ Dinner speech, Lee Kim Sai said that the DAP had claimed that if the Bukit China is forcibly levelled, then it would mean the chopping away of the cultural roots, the wiping out of the contribution of the Chinese to Malaysian nation-building, and the deprivation of the religious freedom as well. Lee Kim Sai said if this is true, then a deep study would have to be made of the issue.
In both the above instances, Lee Kim Sai is no more a political leader who claims to be ‘first to know, first to be aware’, but after being sacked as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister, he seems to have to become retarded, resulting in ‘last to know, last to be aware’! What a tragedy the loss of office could do to a man.
In fact, it was Lee Kim Sai who spoke at the greatest length at the August 8, phantom ‘5,000 People Dinner’ about the Chinese community not having ‘development rights’ over Bukit China, but only ‘burial rights’.
I had in the last few days explained why this theory is highly dangerous as if it is accepted by the Federal and State Government, and the National Land Code is amended to spell out that ‘development right’ is always in the hands of the Government, then it would jeopardise not only the Chinese community trust property of Bukit China, it would also jeopardise the security of the property rights of every Malaysian Chinese, in fact of every Malaysian.
If Lee Kim Sai’s ignorance is harmless, he would only make himself a laughing stock; but if his ignorance is harmful, like the theory that the Chinese community try do not have development right over Bukit China, then he could damage the rights of every Malaysian Chinese in Malaysia.
I do not know why Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai could be so easily ‘brainwashed’ by Chan Teck Chan to propound such dangerous and positively harmful theories, which could only benefit the Malacca Chief Minister in his plan to level and develop Bukit China.
To undo the harm that both Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai had done in their speeches at the August 8, phantom ‘5,000’ people dinner in Malacca, they should hold a second real 5,000-Peopla Dinner in Malacca to publicly withdraw support for their theory that the Chinese community do not have ‘development rights’ over Bukit China, but only ‘burial rights’.
They should also clearly and conclusively make the Malacca Chief Minister understand that they oppose his plan to level and develop 80 per cent of Bukit China, by asking for an official appointment with Datuk Rahim Thamby Cik and conveying the stand to him personally and directly! At least Tee Ann Chuan had gone to see the Chief Minister to try to undo the harm he had previously done, in giving the Chief Minister the justification to claim that 20,000 Chinese youths support the government’s plan to develop Bukit China.
Surely, Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai could not do less, by also seeing the Chief Minister to state clearly that Chan Teck Chan, Ng Peng Huay and Lim Soo Kiang had deceived the Chief Minister when they claim to represent MCA that they support the CM’s Bukit China plan.
If Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai are not prepared to do this, then they want to have one version for the Malacca Chief Minister and a different version for the Chinese community with regard to the Bukit China question.