Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at DAP PJ Hqrs on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 1984 at 12 noon
Challenge to Datuk Harris Salleh, Abdul Hamid Awang and Abdul Majid Khan to Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. to repeat the allegations that I have received $1 million from Tun Mustapha and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing received $100000 from Tun Mustapha
The farce and mockery of the Berjaya performance at the Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur last night has brought sham and disgrace, not only to Berjaya, but to all Barisan Nasional parties, especially MCA and MIC which was prominently represented by their leaders and members last night.
On 12th Sept. 1984, the Berjaya Sabah Assemblyman for Bongawan Abdul Hamid Awang, when speaking in the Sabah Assembly on the Second Supplementary Supply (1984) Enactment, accused me of having received $1 million from Tun Mustapha of USNO and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing (DAP MP for Sandakan) of having received $100000 from Tun Mustapha, to topple Berjaya and Harris Salleh.
The very next day, on Sept. 13, 1984, I challenged the Bongawan Assemblyman, Abdul Awang, and the Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Harris Salleh, who master-minded Bongawan Assemblyman’s speech, to repeat their allegations that I have received $1 million and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing $100000 from Tun Mustapha.
The day after, on Sept. 14, the Berjaya Information Chief, Datuk Abdul haji Abdul Majid Khan, declared that Berjaya accepted my challenge to repeat the allegations at the Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 18 at p.m., and wanted me to be present at the hall when the allegations are repeated.
But when I, together with my DAP comrades, turned up at the Chinese Assembly Hall to her them repeat the allegations, and to file immediate legal action for damages for defamation of character, we were all barred from entry into the Chinese Assembly Hall by the Police on the instructions of the Berjaya organizers.
Datuk Harris Salleh again ‘chickened’ out and dare not turn up. Although the Bongawan Assembly, Abdul Hamid Awang, and Majid Khan, were at the hall, they dare not repeat the allegations that I had received $1 million from Tun Mustapha and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing had received $100000 from Tun Mustapha, although they had publicly declared they would do so – and that was the real reason that they instructed the Police to stop me and DAP leaders and members from entering Chinese Assembly Hall.
Until last night, when I was having as argument with the Berjaya organizer, who claims himself to be Satin Ghanie (Berjaya Supreme Council member and Political Secretary to Harris Salleh), I was told that both received $1 million and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing $100000.
Yet both Abdul Hamid Awang and Majid Khan have the cheek to challenge me to sue them for repeating irrelevant portions of their Assembly speeches, totally avoiding the relevant allegations with regard to $1 million and $100000 gifts!
What is most pathetic about Harris Salleh, Abdul Hamid Awang and Majid Khan is that they have made themselves into the foremost political clowns in Malaysia and South East Asia, and yet do not realize it. Similarly, by their action in particular in denying me entry into Sabah, the Sabah Berjaya and State Government have made Malaysia the laughing stock of the civilized world, and yet they did not realize it.
Berjaya leaders are not only cowards, they are liars as well
Berjaya leaders are not only cowards, but they are liars as well. Yesterday, Berjaya leaders maintained that the Police had imposed as a condition for granting them a police permit that DAP members are not allowed, and that it was only limited to Barisan Nasional members.
I had last night personally and publicly asked the Brickfields OCPD, Mohd. Hamdan b. Haj. Jamaluddin, who issued the permit, on the Berjaya claim that the Police are the ‘culprits’ in banning DAP leaders including myself whom they challenged from entering the Chinese Assembly Hall, and this is what the OCPD said publicly, for the record, and fully on tape:
“Lim Kit Siang: What is the position?
OCPD: They are not allowing you all…
LKS: They say you don’t allow.
OCPD: No, no, no, no….
LKS: They say the police are the culprits…
OCPD: No.. no.. no.. no…
LKS: Just not the organizer came and said the police are the culprits…
OCPD: No, no, no, no…. They are the ones… Of course, it is their show, Yang Berhormat…
LKS: I know it is their show but they challenged us, otherwise, it it is their show, we are not interested…..
OCPD: ….I am not the challenger… the law and order… I know the law, you know the law, you are Member of Parliament isn’t is… our presence here is for public order situation and …
LKS: …fair enough…
OCPD: …So if they invite you or not, it is their show… In your show, you can invite them…
LKS: …Yes, definitely, that is why…
OCPD: I hope you understand. If there is any public order situation now, you see, we have to take action, if there is any crime, we have to take action, but for inviting or not, it is up to them… ask them not to blame anybody….
LKS: In the case, I publicly declare that Ghani something is liar… he said the Police did not allow the DAP to go in and now the OCPD has declared that it is they who applied and said DAP Members are not allowed – he is a coward, liar – Cowards! Liars! (to OCPD) ..well, I appreciate your role, we also have our role, so we…
OCPD: …Okay, will you please disperse before a public order situation… If there is a public order situation here we will have to take action…
LKS: If they allow us to go in quietly, the police are there, they repeat, we have the opportunity to file legal action and that is the end of the story… but when you challenge people and you don’t allow our people to come in, you are provoking a situation of this nature, isn’t it, that is inevitable, you cannot blame the people for being angry, I am angry myself…. If you were in my position, you will be angry as well… you are challenging me and you say you cannot come in and when I say ‘why cannot come in’, you say the police are the culprits, the dirty boys, they are the crooks, they didn’t allow it; and now you say they are cowards, the liars, so I mean, who will not be angry, correct?
OCPD: …they are running the show…
LKS: …Okey, I mean not it is clear…fair enough…because just now they were saying that the police had not allowed… the whole blame was on the police…
OCPD: So now please disperse – before there is any public order situation…
LKS: There will be no public order situation from the DAP. If there is any public order situation, then it can only emanate from the Berjaya – so you can assured of that because the DAP will not have any public order situation.”
The Berjaya leaders have therefore amply proved themselves to cowards and liars, and my booklet on Datuk Harris Salleh has a very apt title, as it is entitled ‘Datuk Harris Salleh: Politics and Mordity.”
I challenge the Berjaya leaders to sue me for defamation in calling them publicly as cowards and liars, for I will then have the Brickfields OCPD as my star witness.
Datuk Harris Salleh should stop thinking that the Berjaya Politics of Money can work everywhere
Datuk Harris Salleh, who scripted and master-minded the entire Chinese Assembly Hall Berjaya fiasco, ought to be thoroughly ashamed of himself.
He should now realize that the Berjaya Politics of Money cannot work everywhere, and even in Sabah, it is not going to work for very much longer.
Datuk Harris Salleh and Parti Berjaya made use of MCA and MIC to rent crownds to attend the Chinese Assembly Hall fiasco, and in fact, every body remarked that the the crowd at the Berjaya fiasce was more of a MIC meeting, only lacking in presence Datuk Samy Vellu although he was personally represented by the MIC National Vice President, Senator N. P. Vijendran.
Parti Berjaya engaged MIC to bring out busloads of estate Indians from Kajang, Dengkil, Puchong and other surrounding areas, with all sorts of promises and trickeries such as (i) that they would be given low-cost housing allotments; (ii) that they would be attending a public debate between Karpal Singah and Wan Najib on the latter’s racial slur of the Indians as worse than snakes; (iii) promises of free transport, food and pocket expenses; etc.
The MCA, which was headed by the MCA MP for Bukit Mertajam, Seow Hung Khim, has nothing to be proud of itself, for it has proved to be as unprincipled and mercenary as the MIC, in helping Berjaya to produce a crowd at the Chinese Assembly Hall.
UMNO has more self-respect, for the challenge was strictly between Berjaya and DAP, and there is no reason for any other Barisan party to be involved. Apart from a few individual UMNO minor officials, the UMNO did not mobilize any UMNO members to turn up for the Berjaya fiasco.
The people have a right to know from Datuk Dr. Neo Yee Pan and Datuk Samy Vellu why the MCA and the MIC should stoop so low to be treated as nothing more than a ‘rent-a-crowd’ contractors by party Berjaya and Harris Salleh.
Challenge to Harris Salleh, Abdul Hamid Awang and Abdul Majid Khan to have a last opportunity to redeem their honour and reputation by coming to Chinese Assembly Hall on Sept. 24 to repeat the allegation that I have received $1 mullion, and Sdr. Fung $100000 from Tun Mustapha
I notice from the Police permit for the Berjaya fiasco at Chinese Assembly Hall that the applicant was Douglas Lind, the Berjaya Secretary-General, who in a letter dated Sept. 14 made the application from the Kota Kinabalu Berjaya headquarters. This means that the letter could not have reached the Kuala Lumpur police until Sept. 15 or 16.
I congratulate the Kuala Lumpur police for its new efficiency and competence for its ability to process and approve an application for a public meeting in a matter of two or three days, when in the past, the KL police had insisted for at least three weeks’ application.
I hope that the KL police is not being discriminating in the discharge of its duties, and will in future process applications from he DAP for public meetings or ceramahs in a matter of two or three days.
As Harris Salleh, Abdul Hamid Awang and Abdul Majid Khan had failed to repeat the allegation that I have received $1 million from Tun Mustapha and $100000 in the case of Fung Ket Wing , I am giving them the last opportunity to redeem their honour and political reputation.
I hereby challenge the three of them to come to the Chinese Assembly Hall on Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. to repeat the allegation that I have received $1 million from Tun Mustapha and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing had received $100000.
I want to advise all three of them to that the Berjaya leaders have ‘done a harris Salleh’ – i.e. backing out from challenges which they themselves threw or accepted – often enough, and for once, they must show to be political leaders of principle courage and honesty.
Whether the three of them attend or not, there will be three seats specially arranged for them onstage at the Chinese Assembly Hall on Sept. 24, and if they are vacant, speak louder than anywords of their total lack of political integrity an dprinciples.
The DAP will today apply for police permit for the Chinese Assembly Hall public meeting on Sept. 24, which will be open to the public, and in particular priority entrance will be given to Berjaya leaders if they would identify themselves. We will not be like the Berjaya leaders – for we are not afraid that they would come – we are only afraid that they dare not come!
I do not expect any problem with the KL Police for police permit, as we will be giving them full six days to process and approve, as compared to Parti Berjaya, which gave the police only two or three days.
Secondly, as the public meeting would be held in an enclosed building, I am sure the Police will have no ‘public order situation’ especially as they distinguished themselves very well in keeping law and order in illegal public rallies held during the Constitutional Crisis last year which involved crowds running into 100000 in open spaces.
The Sept. 24 meeting will begin at 7.30 p.m. and will go on till 11 p.m., for apart from giving Datuk Harris Salleh, Abdul hamid Awang and Abdul Majid Khan the last opportunity to redeem their honour and political reputation by repeating the allegation that I have received $1million, and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing $100000 from Tun Mustapha, the Sept. 24 meeting at Chinese Assembly Hall would further expose the corruption , abuses of power, breach trust, and political immorality in Sabah, as well as the latest political developments in the nation.