Press Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 21.9.1984
Bank Bumiputra is the only bank in the world could claim to be ‘sound and strong’ after losing $969 million
The long-delayed annual report of Bank Bumiputra has at last been released, showing that for 1983, it faces a pre-tex loss of $969 million. But what I find even more shocking is that the Bank Bumiputra Chairman, Dr. Nawawi Mat Awin, could claim in his annual statement that the bank was now sound and strong, as if he is no more responsible for the BMF loans scandal which caused the people to lose over $2.5 billion.
Bank Bumiputra must be the only bank in the world which dare to claim that it is ‘strong and sound’ after losing $969 million. By this logic, banks which had never suffered losses must be quite weak and unsound! Dr. Nawawi’s complacency is indeed confounding.
Whatever the Petronas recue package deal, Dr. Navawi must be personally held responsible to the people of Malaysia for the BMF to give out even larger chunks of loans to the Carrian and other debtors in Hong Kong, ‘throwing good money after bad money’!
The Cabinet should realize that the Petronas-Bank Bumiputra deal where Petronas used $2.5 billion of oil money to bail out Bank Bumiputra and BMF has dealt a great blow on the people’s confidence in the financial and economic integrity and competence of the government.
The Petronas rescue deal seem to be a signal to all statutory bodies and Off-Budget Agencies (OBAs) that they could be as incompetent, irresponsible or even corrupt sa they like, for they need fear no public accountability for their actions as the Petronas stand ready with its oil money to buy over their losses, cover up their mismanagement and escape public and Parliamentary accountability.
Call on Datuk Musa Hitam to watch closely the increasingly anti-Malaysia attitudes of the top Berjaya leaders which are detrimental to national integration
I find the new allegation by the Berjaya, through its Information Chief, that peninsular-based newspaper are consorting with the DAP, to break up Berjaya, so preposterous as to border on the lunatic.
Datuk Harris, the Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Ahmad Hamid Awang and the Berjaya Information Chief Abdul Majid Khan have only themselves to blame for not daring to repeat the Berjaya allegation outside the Sabah Assembly that I have received $1 million from Tun Mustapha and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing received $100000 from Tun Mustapha, to topple Berjaya.
Why did Ahmad Hamid Awang and Majid Khan come to the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall declaring that they would publicly allege that I have received $1 million from Tun Mustapha, and denied me entry to the Chinese Assembly Hall, and even worse, chickened but from repeating the allegation that I have received $1 million from Tun Mustapha?
Everybody was only interested in whether he repeated the $1 million charge, and nothing else. Probably, in some of the Berjaya-controlled Sabah newspapers like Daily Express, they would report that Ahmad Hamid Awang and Majid Khan had repeated the $1 million allegation even if they had not done so, and reported tthat Batuk Harris Salleh was at the Chinese Assembly Hall even though he was not there!
I would advise the Berjaya leaders, especially Datuk Harris Salleh, not to look for scapegoats, and to realize that the cause of their political repution and stan ing being at the lowest ebb in Malaysian history is their own complete doing – because of their arrogance and abuse of power.
This is why I am giving Datuk Harris Salleh, Hamid Awang and Majid Khan the last opportunity in their political career o redeem their political honour and reputation by coming to the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall on Monday, Sept. 24 att 8 p.m. to repeat their allegation that I have received $1 million and Sdr. Fung Ket Wing received $100000 from Tun Mustapha.
The whole country – in fact, the entire South East Asia – is waiting to see the final act of Datuk Harris Salleh, Hamid Awang and Majid Khan – whether it is to chicken out to the very end!
I want to call on the Acting Prime Minister, Datuk Musa Hitam, to watch closely the increasing anti-Malaysia attitudes and sentiments of the top Berjaya leaders. Last month, the Sabah Finance Minister, Datuk Mohamed Nor Mansor, said in Malacca that Sabah was not ‘bothered about Malaysia’s international reputation.’
Now, the Berjaya is inciting the people of Sabah to distrust peninsular-based newspaper, which would only widen the differences between Malaysians inside and outside Sabah – which is contrary to the whole process of Malaysian national integration in the last 21 years since Sabah’s entry into Malaysia.
If the top Berjaya leaders do not stop their anti-Malaysia attitudes and gentiments, the time will soon come when we will have to ask them openly and directly whether they regard themselves as Malaysians or not.
DAP calls on President Marcos to amend the Republic Act and Baseline Act to formally drop all claim to Sabah
At a press conference on Sept. 8, I announced that the DAP will officially write to President Marcos of Philippines to call for the official Philippines abandonment of its claim to Sabah to demonstrate Philippines’’ sincerity in the comity of ASEAN nations.
Following this announcement, the Philippines Foreign Minister, Section 2 of the Republic Act No. 5446 or the Baseline Act of 1968 regarding Sabah as part of the Philippine territory was amended, the Philippines have not taken any concrete step to drop its Sabah claim.
President Marcos had promised seven years ago at the 1977 ASEAN Summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur to take definite steps to remove the claim to Sabah, but unfortunately, up till now, this pledge has not been fulfilled.
The DAP’ letter to the Philippines President would be sent next month after it had been discussed and approved by the Party Central Executive Committee. I will also be bringing up the Philippines failure to take concrete steps to drop its Sabah claim in the forthcoming Parliamentary budget session.