by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary – General and MP for Tanjung , Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 1. 12. 1989:
Ling Liong Sik and Lee Kim Sai actually gave thee different versions of the three paragraph MCA Central Committee statement to three different language media on the eight MCA Selangor State Assemblymen.
It has now come to my attention and knowledge that after the three – hour MCA Central Committee meeting on Wednesday, 29. 11. 1989, the MCA President, Datuk Ling Liong Sik and the MCA Deputy President, Lee Kim Sai, actually gave three versions of the three – paragraph MCA Central Committee statement to three different language media on the issue of the eight MCA Selangor State Assemblymen.
For the Chinese press, Lee Kim Sai told the reporters that the MCA Central Committee ‘endorsed’ the action of the eight MCA Selangor State Assemblymen in threatening their collective resignations on Dec. 15 if the Selangor Islamic Administration Enactment was not suitably amended by that date.
For the English media, Datuk Ling Liong Sik said the MCA Central Committee ‘appreciated’ the threatened collective resignations of the eight MCA Selangor State Assemblymen, while to the Malay – media reports, Datuk Dr. Ling used the softest language of all, stating that the MCA Central Committee ‘took note’ (“ambil perhatian”) of the actions taken by the eight Selangor MCA State Assemblymen.
MCA deserve to get into the Guinness Book of Record where it could come out with three separate versions for a three – paragraph statement for three different language media!
To the Chinese community, Lee Kim Sai wants the Chinese to believe that the MCA Central Committee has decided to give full backing to the eight Selangor State Assemblymen in their threat to resign collectively on Dec. 15 if by that date, there was no solution of the Selangor Islamic Administration Enactment countrywide through its grassroots that the MCA was now prepared for a showdown with the UMNO, and that MCA Ministers are prepared to collectively resign from the Cabinet and Government.
But to the English – language newspaper, Datuk Dr. Ling has downgraded the MCA’s ‘endorsement’, which involved a full MCA commitment of support, backing and authorization for the actions of the eight Selangor MCA State Assemblymen, to a MCA ‘appreciation’, which involved merely understanding but no commitment of support approval.
But to the Bahasa Malaysia media, Datuk Dr. Ling said withdrawn even the MCA’s understanding for the actions by the eight MCA Selangor State Assemblymen to one of being totally non – committal, as implied by the words ‘took note’! Datuk Dr. Ling wants the Bahasa Malaysia media to convey the clear message that the MCA Central Committee neither approved, authorized, condoned, appreciated or understood the actions of the eight MCA Selangor State Assemblymen, by merely ‘taking note’ of their actions!
Challenge to Liong Sik and Kim Sai to deny they had produced three different versions in three different languages for the three – paragraph statement by publicly replying tape – recording
I feel very sorry for Datuk Ling Liong Sik, Lee Kim Sai and the entire MCA Central Committee, for they have brought great shame and dishonor both to the community and the people they claim to represent in their triple versions in three different languages for a three – paragraph statement on the eight MCA Selangor State Assemblymen.
I challenge Datuk Dr. Ling and Lee Kim Sai to deny that they had come out with three different versions for the three different language media for the three – paragraph statement, by replaying the tape recording of the press conference held after the MCA Central Committee meeting on Wednesday. In any such public re-playing of the tape – recording, I am prepared to be present – at any place, any day and any time! Dr. Ling and Lee Kim Sai just name it, and I’ll be there!
This is not the first time that the MCA national leaders have been twisting and turning in their public pronouncements. For instance, on the morning of 21st November 1989, Datuk Ling told reporters: “MCA cannot decide on behalf on the Chinese community on the question of the closure of Chinese primary schools, as the Chinese primary schools belong to the Chinese community, and are not owed by the MCA.”
However, in the same afternoon, Datuk Dr. Ling recalled the reporters and stated the MCA was opposed to any character to Chinese primary schools. He said: “Even if there is any thinking or idea about the change of character of Chinese primary schools, it is not permissible.”
If a MCA National President could twist and turn in a matter of hours, it is no surprise that the top MCA national leaders have so perfected this art that they could twist and turn in a matter of minutes and even seconds, as illustrated in the three different versions for three different language media for a three – paragraph statement!
Lee Kim Sai should explain why he lied on August 19 in making the public claim that the Selangor enactment problem had been solved
Lee Kim Sai said yesterday that all MCA wanted was a deadline for the resolution of the Selangor Islamic Law Enactment. He also said that the MCA national leaders had met the Prime Minister at least three times while the Selangor MCA leaders had met the Selangor Mentri Besar at least five times over the past few months, but there was still no solution.
From his statement yesterday, Lee Kim Sai was clearly admitting that MCA National leaders, starting with the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, had been lying to the people in the past few months about the resolution of the issue. Lee Kim Sai himself should explain why he lied on August 19 when he declared that one Selangor Enactment issue had been “satisfactorily resolved”, and that as a result, the MCA Disciplinary Committee was dropping the case against the eight Selangor MCA State Assemblymen for their support of the Enactment in the Selangor Assembly on july19?
What type of a Disciplinary Committee the MCA has, which operates on lies and falsehoods? Now that it is clear that the MCA Disciplinary Committee had deliberately deceived itself about the solution of the Enactment problem, is the Disciplinary Committee going to re – open disciplinary proceedings against the eight MCA Selangor State Assemblymen? It is clear that the MCA national leaders are not serious people, but taking politics as a big game!
In now asking for a deadline for the resolution of the Selangor Enactment problem, is Lee Kim Sai saying that the deadline given by the eight Selangor MCA Assemblymen, i.e. Dec. 15, was just an empty threat?
From Lee Kim Sai’s statement, the people must also wonder what role, function and purpose the MCA National leaders play in the Barisan Nasional government if after at least three meetings with the Prime Minister, they still could not resolve the Selangor Enactment issue. How many more meetings do they need to have with the Prime Minister? Thirty meetings?