Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Ipoh on Friday, 18.1.1985 at 11 am.
DAP to highlight the politics of corruption and immorality as the major theme in the March opening of Parliament.
The Cabinet has fixed the new parliamentary opening by the Yang di-Petuan Agong on
March 25 for a three-week Parliamentary meeting. The DAP will highlight the politics of
corruption and immorality in the March opening of Parliament, for all Malaysians must
regard such political corruption and immorality as Malaysia’s Moral Enemy No. 1.
The 2M Government would have no right to talk about a clean, efficient and trustworthy
government, to the inculcation of Islamic values of honesty, justice and clean conduct if it
is not prepared to take a firm stand against all forms of political corruption and immorality.
Political immorality and corruption is the root cause of all forms of corruption in Malaysia.
All political leaders must be able to get the moral respect of Malaysians. If they fail to get
public moral approval, then they are setting the worst possible instance of ‘Leadership by Example’
by teaching the people and the young generations that moral values and concepts are not important.
The net result will be an immoral Malaysian nation.
MPs or State Assemblymen who betray their party and voters for self-gain must be condemned
as immoral politicians. Political leaders, whether Ministers or Mentri Besar or Chief Ministers
who take part in such political transactions should also be condemned as having committed
moral wrong doings.
The Dap will propose in Parliament the enactment of legislation to require MPs or Assemblymen
who defect or betray or resign from the party on whose ticket he got elected to vacate his seat
causing a by-election to be held, where he would have to seek the new approval of the voters
for his action. This will reduce the greater morality and cleanliness in Malaysian politics.
Those who oppose the proposal clearly have no interest in having clean and moral politics in
Malaysia, and I hope UMNO, MCA, Gerakan, MIC, will show that they are parties with
high moral standards.
Call on Harris Salleh to restore Tambunan’s district status and not to play with words to
hide his Politics of blackmail and immorality.
Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Harris Salleh, said yesterday that the district status of
Tambunan had not been abrogated, that the services in Tambunan had not been
interrupted at all, and that the only change is that the district is not administered
by the District Officer. He said it was ‘coincidental’ that the Tambunan administrative
changes came soon after
the Berjaya disastrous defeat in the Tambunan by-election on Dec. 29.
Datuk Harris Salleh must not think that Malaysians are simpletons who could be fooled by him.
He should stop playing with words to hide his politics of blackmail and immorality.
At least, Datuk Harris Salleh had realized that the Berjaya action in Tambunan is completely
indefensible, whether from legal, political or moral point of view. He is not trying to give
his action of abrogation of Tambunan district some legitimacy by claiming that it was coincidental,
and not because of the the Tambunan by-election where the Berjaya candidate nearly lost his deposit.
Is Datuk Harris Salleh suggesting that even if the Berjaya candidate, Roger Ongkili, had won the Tambunan by-election, the Tambunan district status would have been removed as well? In that case, when did the Berjaya government take this decision? Before nomination day or after nomination day,
and why Berjaya was so dishonest as not to inform the Tambunan voters about it?
Datuk Harris Salleh should immediately restore Tambunan’s district status without any more excuses,
or he would be selected as one of the best examples of the politics of corruption and immorality which
the DAP MPs would highlight in the March session of Parliament. I hope he would have the courage
to be present in the Parliamentary debate to defend his immoral action!
3. Call on Dr. Lim Keng Yaik And Ker Choo Ting to publicly apologise to DAP for the wild Gerakan allegations against DAP.
The local press reported an allegation by a top Gerakan leader that the DAP has a secret agreement with PAS to help PAS win this Saturday’s Padang Terap parliamentary by-election.
This wild allegation is another example of the dirty and immoral politics which component Barisan Nasional parties are now very fond of using.
I call on Gerakan National President and Secretary-General, Dr. Lim Keng Yaik and Ker Choo Ting
to publicly apologise to the DAP and the people for making such a wild allegation, and for being
caught red-handed in such immoral political conduct.
Have the Gerakan gon soe bankrupt that it must resort to lies and falsehood?
I had said in Penang on 7th January that the DAP is not in any was involved in Padang Terap by-election, and would not even advise the voters as to which party candidate to vote, although I suggested that the voters must weigh carefully before they cast their vote. As the Gerakan is capable of telling such lies,
as in making the wild allegation that the DAP had entered into a secret agreement with PAS in Padang Terap, it shows that the words and speeches of Gerakan leaders and members in the b-election cannot be trusted at all.
I do not know what is going to be the outcome in the by-election, but PAS would have registered
success if it could slash the UMNO majority in Padang Terap.
4. Government should withdraw the monopoly granted to a bumiputra firm on the import of
mandarin oranges for the Chinese New Year.
The detention of 20,000 crates of mandarin oranges at the Johore Bahru causeway because of the
granting of a monopoly to a bumiputra firm to import Mandarin oranges from China must be
deplored.
This latest government action shows the utter insensitivity of certain officials to the customs
of different communities in Malaysia.
It has been reported that some importers want to boycott the monopoly on mandarin oranges
import of from China. The people will give such boycott action full support. In fact,
if the government is not prepared to act reasonably to withdraw the monopoly on the import
of Mandarin oranges from China for the Chinese New Year, I would even suggest that the
people seriously consider boycotting the import and use of all Mandarin oranges from
China for the coming Chinese New Year as a serious protest against the unending interference
with the people’s customs and way of life.
5. Call on Cabinet to announce the decision on Papan as the one-month deadline set by
Datuk Musa Hitam has expired.
The Cabinet should make public its decision on the Papan radioactive waste dump issue as the
one-month deadline set by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Musa Hitam, when he visited
Papan last month has expired.
The people in Bukit Merah, Menglembu, Lahat and Taman Badrishah are rightly anxious
that there should be no further delay in the Cabinet decision on the radioactive waste issue,
as every day, the Asian Rare Earth Sdn Bhd is continuing to produce the radioactive waste
which is detrimental to human beings and the environment.
The DAP calls on the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister not to introduce non-existing
factors into an issue which is strictly concerning the health and environment of the people in
Papan, Menglembu, Taman Merah, Lahat and Taman Badrishah, and accede to public appeals to
close down the Asian Rare Earth Sdn Bhd immediately.