By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Malacca on Friday, 24.1.1986:
Advice to MCA leaders, branches and members not to bring greater dishonour to the Malaysian Chinese community and nation by their demonstrations and wild statements
The MCA leaders, branches and members not to bring greater dishonour to the Malaysian Chinese community and nation by their demonstrations and wild statements in connection with the arrest of MCA President, Tan Koon Swan, 45, and being charged in Singapore for six counts of criminal breach of trust over the Pan El crisis.
If the MCA leaders, branches and members could not make distinction between charges involving corporate crimes, leading to a crisis which resulted in the three-day suspension of the Kuala Lumpur and Singapore stook exchanges and billions of dollars of shares losses by the invertors, and politics, then it is a sad reflection on the calibre, quality and standard of the new MCA.
The MCA leaders, branches and members had been organising demonstrations throughout the country, stopping Singapore cars at the Johore causeway, threatening economic boycott of Singapore goods and services, and even threatening to out the water supply from Johore to Singapore. First of all, they should know that by making empty threats, they do themselves more harm than good. I do not think the Malaysian Chinese people are so incapable of differentiating from right and wrong, as to follow the MCA leaders, branches and members in such wild threats.
It has also not escaped the attention of the Malaysian Chinese that on vital issues affecting the fundamental political, economic, educational, cultural, and religious rights of the people and future generations, the MCA leaders, branches and members are incapable of any demonstrations.
I note that in the spate of demonstrations and wild statements by MCA leaders, branches and members following the arrest of Tan Koon Swan by the Singapore authorities, I have been picked out for special attack, that the Singapore action to arrest Tan Koon Swan was designed to benefit the DAP.
If the MCA leaders like Datuk Ling Liong Sik and Datuk Lee Kim Sai, are responsible political leaders, then they should bear responsibility for such wild charges and personally face the consequences, instead of getting their insignificant branches and members to make such charges.
If Datuk Ling Liong Sik and Datuk Lee Kim Sai are not prepared to assume responsibility for the charges made by MCA branches and members, then they must dissociate themselves and the Party from such charges, and have the grace to publicly apologise on behalf of the MCA to me and to DAP.
Datuk Dr.Ling Liong Sik said yesterday that the MCA leadership reaffirmed its support for Tan Koon Swan and that it was through the MCA;s influence that the $20 million bail for Tan Koon Swan was raised. This is as it should be considering the tens of millions of dollars Tan Koon Swan must have raised for the 22-month MCA power struggle.
For its own good, the MCA leadership should halt all the demonstrations and wild statements by its leaders, branches and members, for they are disgraceful not only to MCA, but even more important, to the Chinese community and to the Malaysian nation!