Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at a Press Conference in Malacca on Saturday, 25th August 1984 at 11 a.m.
The Malaysian Chinese community should unite to plan for the development, not for the commercial purpose of turning it into a housing and commercial centre, but into a tourist, religious, historic and cultural centre after the Malacca State Government had abandoned its plan to forcibly level and develop it
Yesterday’s inauguration of the weekly Save Bukit China ‘Walk or Jog at Bukit China’ every Friday at 5.30 p.m. and its completion without any police interference is a victory for the principle that the Police have no right to obstruct Malaysian from walking or jogging at Bukit China.
I thank the Police for their presence if it is to provide protection and security for the walkers and joggers, and I call on all Malaccans to turn every Friday into a ‘Walk or Jog to Save Bukit China’ day especially as the Police will be providing security and protection.
There are many ways for Malaysian to demonstrate their concern for the preservation of Bukit China as a national heritage. Wearing ‘Save Bukit China’ T-shirts and walking or jogging at Bukit China every Friday is one way. Another is for Malaysians to wear ‘Save Bukit China’ T-shirt and walk or jog in their respective states and towns to highlight the nation-wide concern for the preservation of Bukit China as a religious, cultural and historic monument of the Malaysian Chinese and national heritage for all Malaysians.
Beginning next month, the DAP will organise ‘Save Bukit China’ walks or jogs in every state and town. The first ‘Walk or Jog to Save Bukit China’ to be conducted outside Malacca would be in Penang, where the ‘Walk or Jog to Save Bukit China’ would be held on Sunday, morning Sept. 2, 1984. The second state in Johore at on 2/9/84 evening. The third state to conduct ‘Walk or Jog to Save Bukit China’ would be Negri Sembilan, where on Sept. 6, (Thursday) the initial series would be held in Seremban.
The Johore and Negri Sembilan ‘Save Bukit China’ committee would be announcing details of these ‘Walk or Jog to Save Bukit China’ programmes.
Despite the pressures applied by the Malacca Chief Minister and the Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction, I am fully confident that if the people, in particular the Malaysian Chinese, are united in their stand on the Bukit China issue, the Malacca State Government must given and respect the people’s wishes and leave Bukit China alone.
The DAP wants to see the Bukit China developed, but not in the way the Malacca Chief Minister or the Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction has in mind, to develop Bukit China by levelling 80 per cent of it into a housing and commercial centre.
Bukit China should not be commercially developed, for the 12,500 graves to be dug out to give way to commercial complexes. It should be developed into a tourist and cultural centre, symbolising the greatness of Chinese contribution to Malaysian nation building.
The Chinese community in Malaysia must unite to plan for the development of Bukit China, not for a commercial purpose, but to turn it into a tourist, historic, religious and cultural centre.
The Chinese community however should not discuss this question until the Malacca State Government had abandoned its plan to forcibly level and develop 80 per cent of Bukit China into housing and commercial centre.
2. Cable to Prime Minister to make public the BMF Inquiry Committee Interim Report which had been submitted to Bank Bumiputra and cabinet.
The Star reported that the Ahmad Nordin Inquiry Committee investigating into the $2.5 billion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance loans scandal had completed its interim report and submitted to the Bank Bumiputra Chairman, Dr. Nawawi Mat Awin, last Friday on 17th August, and that the report was discussed at the Cabinet meeting Wednesday this week.
According to the report, Ahmad Nordin BMF interim report found that there were attempts to ‘cover up’ the state of affairs of the BMF and the Bank Bumiputra after the collapse of the Carrian empire in Hong Kong.
The interim report named the persons involved in the decision to approve the loans and those involved in the ‘cover-up’.
There should now be no attempt to ‘cover up’ the interim report of the Ahmad Nordin Committee into the BMF.
I have cabled to the Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, urging the immediate release of the BMF interim report to the public in keeping with the National Day theme this year on ‘Trust as the Basis of Success’.
My cable to the PM reads:
‘Urge immediately public release of BMF inquiry interim report. After previous ‘cover-up’ of BMF and Bank Bumiputera loans scandal, there should now be no ‘cover-up’ of BMF inquiry interim report in keeping with 1984 National Day Theme ‘Trust as the Basis of Success’.’