by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General, MP for Tanjung and Assemblyman for Kampong Kolam, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, Nov. 13, 1986:
Lee Kim Sai should now resign as Cabinet Minister over the MCA withdrawal of the Selanqor MCA Resolution
MCA Deputy President, Datuk Lee Kim Sai, should now resign as Cabinet Minister over the MCA’s withdrawal of the Selangor MCA Resolution.
The so-called withdrawal of the Selangor MCA Resolution by the four MCA Cabinet Ministers is clearly invalid and unlawful, for the MCA Party Constitution does not provide the MCA Ministers or national leaders, or even the MCA Selangor State Committee, any power to ‘quash’ a Resolution adopted by the party delegates at the State MCA Convention. The proper and valid thing to do is for the MCA to summon an emergency meeting of the Selangor MCA State Convention and pass a resolution withdrawing the controversial Selangor MCA Resolution.
The present MCA leadership are the ones who had been championing the MCA party constitution in the 22-month power struggle against the Neo Yee Pan faction, but are now disregarding the MA Party Constitution for the sake of preserving their Ministerial position in Cabinet.
In doing so, the MCA leaders have lost the right to talk about the dignity or self-respect of the MCA or of the Chinese community, whom they claim to represent.
Last Wednesday, MCA President, Datuk Dr,Ling Liong Sik had said that the Cabinet had resolved the Selangor MCA Resolution controversy, but the events of the past week showed that Datuk Dr.Ling’s post-Cabinet statement has absolutely no authority or credibility. For the issue was not only tot settled, but it became bigger and bigger to the extent that the Cabinet had to discuss it for a second time in a short space of two weeks.
This is another major public loss of face for Datuk Dr.Ling Liong Sik and the MCA who cannot get even respect from the other Barisan Nasional component parties although he claims to be Cabinet spokesman. MCA Ministers in future should never act as Cabinet spokesmen, because their words carried no weight at all. The greatest tragedy with the MCA leaders, and in particular Datuk Lee Kim Sai, is that he wants to play hero of the Chinese community, but when he had to abjectly withdraw the Selangor MCA Resolution, he brought shame and dishonour not only to himself, MCA, but the entire Chinese community.
What is even more shameful is the “Ah Q’s Spirit” of Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik who claimed that this is the best solution “with all winners and no losers”!
The Cabinet came out with a weak and unsatisfactory statement that it is improper now to call non-Malays ‘pendatang’. What does the Cabinet propose to do with top Barisan Nasional leaders, including Ministers, who call the non-Malays as ‘kaum pendatang’ or ‘kaum asing’ – with such terms
being bandied about in government publications like Dewan Masyarakat and UMNO-controlled newspapers and publications?
Is the Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Megat Junid Megat Ayub going to give a final warning that the government will prosecute all concerned, regardless of their status or position, with sedition offence for calling non-Malay Malaysians `kaum pendatang’ or ‘kaum asing’ as it in fact challenged their citizenship status?
Call on the Six Advisers of the High-Powered Committee on Co-operatives to explain their role in the Government proposal to liquidate KOSATU AND SAKAAP and refusal to bail out the 588,000 depositor
On September 25, 1986, the Deputy Prime Minister, Ghaffar Baba, announced the establishment of a High-Powered Special Action Committee on the 24 Co-operatives, and six advisers were appointed to this High-Powered Committee, comprising Tan Sri Thong Yaw Hong, Raja Arshad bin Tun Uda, Datuk Kee Yong Wee, Datuk Wong Tok Chai, Encik Chee Kee Leong and Encik Ng Kek Kiong.
I call on these six advisers of the high-powered committee to explain their role on the government White Paper proposal to liquidate KOSATU and SAKAAP, and the government’s refusal to bail out the 588,000 depositors.
Datuk Kee Yong Wee’s role in the high-powered committee is most questionable, especially as he had been mentioned as being involved in questionable transactions in KOMUDA, of which he is Chairman and also because of the bad state of affairs of the KSM, the co-operative movement of the MCA Youth of which Kee Yong Wee is Chairman.
The six advisers of the high-powered committee on co-operatives would have failed the 588,000 depositors if they had been a party to the heartless proposals contained in the Government White Paper – in particular with the recommendation to liquidate KOSATU AND SAKAAP This is because the over 80,000 depositors with KOSATU and SAKAAP may only get 10 cents or 15 cents after four or five years, if there is now liquidation and forced sale of all the available assets under the most adverse economic circumstances.
The 588,000 depositors have a right to know whether the six-man . advisory panel of the High-powered committee on co-operatives had made the Government understand and accept that the $1.5 billion Co-operative Catastrophe is the direct result of government negligence and irresponsibility in failing to monitor the deposit-taking activities of the co-operatives?
The 588,000 depositors are not only the victims of the fraud, breach of trust and mismanagement of Co-operative Directors and officials, they are also the victim of a irresponsible and negligent government which had failed to protect their interests.
The Government White Paper has brought tragedy to hundreds of thousands of households throughout the length and breadth of Malaysia, for the loss of their entire life-savings is a catastrophe which would create hopelessness and despair to anyone.
It is during such a casastrophe that a government is needed to come to the public rescue, and a government which is not prepared to extend aid in these circumstances have clearly let down the people.
I must remind the MCA and Gerakan Ministers that they must not continue to be indifferent to the plight and tragedy of the 588,000 depositors, but must act in unison to get the Cabinet and Government to come out with $600 million to bail out the 588,000 depositors. This is the least the MCA and Gerakan Ministers can do in these circumstances, especially as the MCA and Gerakan must bear responsibility over the past few years in encouraging the people to put their life-savings in the co-operatives as the ‘last line of defence of small Chinese capital.”