By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 31.10.1985:
Berjaya and USNO should accept the verdict of the people of Sabah in the April general elections and stop all forms of political blackmail and coercion to destabilize the PBS Government.
The renewed demand of the Berjaya Adviser and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk James Ongkili, that a coalition government should be set up in Sabah demonstrates the objective and purposes of those who create or condone the present artificial political crisis in Sabah.
Berjaya and USNO should accept the verdict of the people of Sabah in the April general elections and stop all forms of political blackmail and coercion to destabilise the PBS Government, and through undemocratic means, deprive the people of Sabah the government they elected into office in the general elections.
The Prime Minister’s role in the Sabah political and constitutional crisis is a subject of much comment, speculation and questioning. In the interests of promoting healthy democratic growth in Malaysia, the Prime Minister should express disapproval of undemocratic means to destabilise a duly-elected government, or to negate the clearly-expressed wishes of the people of Sabah in the April general elections.
Call on Cabinet to direct the Malacca Chief Minister to cancel the junket to UAR, Portugal and Holland at public expense
After yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Information Minister, Datuk Rais Yatim, told reporters that in the face of poor commodity prices, the Cabinet has decided to slash all levels of government expenditures.
As a first step, I would call on the Cabinet to immediately direct all Chief Ministers and Mentri-Mentri Besar to cancel all overseas trip and them from junkets overseas at the head of Exco and state government officials.
The Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Thamby Cik, is leading another State Government junket mission to UAR, Protugal and Holland next month. This trip should be cancelled to demonstrate the government’s seriousness in cutting down unnecessary and wasteful expenditures.
The total Public Sector external debt has exceeded $30,000 million, which includes external debts of Federal Government, State Governments and Off-Budget Agencies (OBAs). The total debts owed to the Federal Government by the State Governments have nearly trebled from $2,082 million in 1979 to $5,641 million in 1985. Instead of finding ways to economies, State Governments have acted as if they have unlimited funds, in a most spendthrift manner.
The use of public properties and facilities for personal or party ends is another waste of public funds. A good example is the use of RMAF helicopter for Tun Mustapha’s campaigning in the Ulu Padas by-election in Sabah recently. The Deputy Rural and National Development Minister, Abdilah’s claims that he was using the RMAF helicopter to visit a tadika and to make an allocation shows that public properties and expenses are being incurred on very flimsy excuses.
The Ministry of Defence’s allocations should be slashed sharply if it had too much funds, where it could allow its RMAF helicopters to run errands for Deputy Ministers who wanted to visit a tadika or announce an allocation.
I call on the Deputy Defence Minister, Datuk Abang Bakar, to make public the criteria for the use of RMAF helicopter and aircrafts for the private, personal use of Ministers and Deputy Ministers who merely invented some Ministry function to justify the expenditure of public funds, and whether such malpractices are going to be stopped.