Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Dap Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Dewan Rakyat on Friday, DEC. 6, 1985:
Privilege motion to refer the Minister of Information, Datuk Rais Yatim, to the Committee of Privileges for lying to the House on why Chinese operatic item of Sudirman and Noorkumalasari ‘Tan Looi Fah’ over ‘Setengkai Irama’ was cut out of the show
I rise under Standing Order 26(1) (p), which does not require notice to be given, to move the following privilege motion:
“That the House takes note that during the Committee of Supply 1986 debate on the Ministry of Information in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday,28th November, 1985, when replying to the Parliamentary Opposition Leader’s speech asking why the Chinese operatic item of Sudirman and Noorkumulasari on ‘Tan Looi Fah’ over ‘Setengkai Irama’ was cut out of the show, the Minister of Information, Datuk Rais Yatim,said:
‘……suka saya menyatakan penyanyi-penyanyi yang berdua ini tidak jadi mementaskan pertunjukan itu bukan sebab apa, adalah sebab mereka sendiri menyatakan lebih baiklah dengan menyanyi biasa tanpa melibatkan opera Tionghua lama ataupun pakaian klasik yang disebutkan oleh Yang Berhormat itu.”
“Notes further that in yesterday’s New Straits Times interview, Sudirman’s manager, Mike Bernie Chin, denied the Minister’s version, making the following points:
• That the item was conceived by Sudirman, and he and Noorkumalasari had both gone to the extent of hiring the costumes and learning the finer points of Chinese Opera for the show;
• That the item was a contribution towards racial integration, in line with Government policy;
“Resolves to refer the Minister for Information, Datuk Rais Yatim, to the Committee of Privileges to investigate and report as to whether the Minister had misled or even lied to the House when asserting that it was Sudirman and Noorkumalasari who had themselves asked for the item to be cut out, and to recommed the penalties that should be imposed if the Ministry is found to be misled or lied to the House.”
I am moving this motion in accordance with the ruling made by Speaker, Tan Sri Zahir Ismail, during the debate on the privilege motion to suspend the DAP Mp for Jelutong, Sdr. Karpal Singh, that a privilege motion could be raised in the House at any time, without notice.
I hope that this privilege motion would be allowed so that the Malaysian Parliament would not seen to have double standards, whereby a privilege motion against government Ministers or MPs could never get precedence, while a privilege motion against the Opposition MP is always given precedence; and what is worse, where the privilege motions against government Minister and MPs are killed by not allowing time for their debate, as appears to be the intention of the Government Ministers and Mps today to kill all my three privilege and substantive motions.
The Government could use its brute majority to commit injustice, foul play and oppression in the House, but it must face the judgement of the people in the next polls, who should then take the opportunity to punish the Barisan Nasional government for its irresponsible and tyrannical majority by slashing its two-thirds parliamentary majority in the next general elections.