by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General, MP for Tanjung and Assemblyman for Kampong Kolam, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Monday, 10.11,1986：
DAP calls on Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman to resign as Attorney-General if he is not prepared to uphold national interest in prosecuting the BMF scandal culprits, especially now that Datuk Hashim Shamsuddin has pleaded guilty
Malaysians are very disappointed by the attitude of the Attorney-¬General, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, to the prosecution of the culprits and criminals in the $2.5 billion Bumiputera Malaysia Finance Scandal.
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Even after one of the main BMF culprits, Datuk Hashim Shamsuddin, has pleaded guilty to four charges of fraud against Bank Bumiputra and corruption in London, Tan Sri Abu Talib is still unwilling to make any move against the BMF culprits, giving as excuses problems of jurisdiction and evidence.
Malaysians cannot but contrast Tan Sri Abu Talib’s eagerness in wanting to get the Official Secrets Act Amendment Bill 1986 passed, which will oust the jurisdiction of the courts in determining whether a document is ‘official secret’ and removing the discretionary power of judges in passing sentence, and his unusual refusal to make a move to bring the BMF culprits to book.
On the jurisdictional problem, is Tan Sri Abu Talib othman unaware of Section 27 of the Prevention of the Corruption Act 1961 which provides extra-territorial powers to the Malaysian courts to try corruption offences committed overseas？
The $2,5 billion BMF scandal is the country’s biggest banking and financial scandal which the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr.Mahathir Mohamed, has described as a ‘heinous crime’. It would appear that
the Attorney-General decided right from the beginning that this a heinous crime without criminals.
Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman would be completely out of line with the aspirations and wishes of the Malaysian rakyat if he does not want to take any step or make any move to bring the BMF culprits to
book in Malaysia, and call on Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman to resign as Attorney-General – if he does not want to discharge his duties as defender of the public interest in the BMF scandal.
DAP calls for re-opening of the BMF Scandal Inquiry in view of new information from London extradition proceedings
The DAP calls for re-opening of the BMF Scandal Inquiry in view of new information from the London extradition proceedings. For instance, the former Bank Bumiputra Executive Chairman, Dr. Nawawi Mat Awin, had claimed during the entire BMF scandal that he had never approved
nor authorised nor had any knowledge of any loan to Carrian or Geonge Tan.
But during the London extradition proceedings last month, the London magistrate’s court was told by the former BMF General Manager, Ibrahim Jaffar, that Dr. Nawawi, together with Lorraine Osman and Hashim Shamsuddin, knew of the “disguised” money market loans made to communist China banks which ultimately went to Carrian companies and George Tan.
This is very important, for as Dr. Nawawi was a top political appointment, it is most likely that if he had known of such loan transactions to Carrian and George Tan from BMF and Bank Bumiputra, then top UMNO leaders would have been kept informed.
The recent attempt to Poison and murder Mak Koon Than, who had been convicted of the murder of Jalil Ibrahirn, the BMF Assistant General Manager, would warrant such re-opening of the BMF Scandal Inquiry.
Why should anybody want to murder Mak Foon Than in the Hong Kong prisons if there are no masterminds to the murder of Jalil Ibrahim?
The Ahmad Nordin BMF Inquiry Committee had in fact called for the re-opening of the investigations of the Jalil Ibrahim murder, but this call had so far been ignored by the Malaysian authorities.
Call on Cabinet Ministers to heed the growing public opposition to USA Amendment Bill and decide on Wednesday’s meeting to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee on Freedom of Information in Malaysia
I call on the Prime Minister and all Cabinet Ministers to heed the growing public opposition to the OSA Amendment Bill, which threaten the very democratic basis of the country.
They should pay heed to the resolution adopted at yesterday’s public forum to protest against the OSA Amendment 3i11 organised by the DAP at the Hotel Petaling Jaya Hilton, which read:
“We, the People of Malaysia, gathered at Hotel Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 9th November 1986,
TAKE SERIOUS NOTE of the government’s intention to proceed with the second and third reading of -‘-he Official Secrets Act (Amendment) Bill 1986 despite widespread public opposition;
RESOLVE to urge the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to respect democracy and public opinion by withdrawing the Official Secrets Act Amendment Bill or refer it to a Parliamentary Select Committee to inquire into the whole question of freedom of information in Malaysia;
CALL on all Ministers and Members of Parliament of all political parties to defend the democratic right of Malaysians to freedom of information by voting against any second and third reading of the Official Secrets Amendment Bill;
CALL on all Malaysians, whether individuals or organisations, to make a daily commitment to help mobilise nation-wide public opinion from now till December 5 or 8 to communicate to all Ministers, Members of Parliament and political parties the widespread public opposition against the Official Secrets Act Amendment Bill; and
RESOLVE that a Freedom of Information Campaign headed by Tan Sri Ahmad Nordin should be launched to safeguard, protect and enlarge the fundamental democratic right of freedom of information in Malaysia.”
Cabinet Ministers should be sensitive to public opinion and I would urge them to decide at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee on Freedom of Information in Malaysia, to which the OSA Amendment Bill could be referred.
Challenge to Tan Sri Abu Talib and Pathmanaban to public debate on OSA Amendment Bill
I am surprised that Deputy Health Minister Datuk K, Pathmanathan has become a leading champion of the OSA Amendment Bill. Is he trying to send the Prime Minister a signal that he should be promoted to full Ministership?
The DAP challenges the vocal advocates of the OSA Amendment Bill like Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abu Talib and Datuk K, Pathmanaban to open and public debates on the OSA Amendment Bill – or will they say that their true reasons for supporting the draconian and pernicious amendment are also ‘secret’?