DAP to propose at Feb.5 meeting with Tengku Razaleigh and Semangat 46 leaders a series of AG/VIJI scandal ceramahs in constituencies of Cabinet Ministers to hold them to account for failure to act on scandal

by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 25th January 1990:

DAP to propose at Feb.5 meeting with Tengku Razaleigh and Semangat 46 leaders a series of AG/VIJI scandal ceramahs in constituencies of Cabinet Ministers to hold them to account for failure to act on scandal

At the meeting with Tengku Razaleigh and other Semangat 46 leaders on February 5 in the second of fortnightly get-togethers of DAP and Semangat 46 leadership,the DAP will propose the launching of a series of AG/VIJI pornographic videotape scandal ceramahs in the constituencies of all Cabinet Ministers to hold them to account for their failure to act on the scandal.

In the past week, Semangat 46 had held very successful ceramahs in the Kubang Pasu constituency of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed and the Permatang Pauh constituency of the Education Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, where the AG/VIJI pornographic videotape scandal was one of the issues highlighted.

The DAP will suggest that Semangat 46 organise the ceramahs in the constituencyes of the UMNO Baru Ministers while the DAP will organize the ceramahs in the constituencies of the other Ministers in this campaign to inform all the voters in Ministerial constituencies as to how their respective MPs had failed to do their duty in the AG/VIJI scandal.

The DAP proposes to start this campaign to explain to the people in the Ministerial constituencies the grave and fundamental issues involved in the AG/VIJI scandal in the Sungei Siput constituency of MIC President, Datuk Samy Vellu; to be followed in the Labis constituency of MCA president, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, the Beruas constituency of Gerakan President, Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, the Hulu Langat constituency of Lee Kim Sai, the Klang constituency of Ng Cheng Kiat and the Bentong constituency of Lim Ah Lek.

Malaysians must be very disappointed that the Cabinet is trying to pretend that the AG/VIJI scandal never existed. I had written to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, on 14th January 1990 asking that the Cabinet, at its meeting of 17th January 1990, should bring an end to the AG/VIJI scandal by firstly, the removal of Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman as Attorney-General; secondly appoint an independent Special Prosecutor to deal with all cases connected with police reports lodged against Tan Sri Abu Talib for having committed a criminal offence in ordering the destruction of the eleven Vijandran videotapes and four envelopes of 2,000 photographs; and thirdly, the removal of D.P.Vijandran as Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament.

I had also at the Semangat 46 Tanjung ceramah in Penang last Friday challenged all the Cabinet Ministers to make a statement on oath that none of them had seen any of the Vijandran videotapes and had not been informed, either officially or unofficially, of the nature of the contents of the Vijandran videotapes. Up to date, not a single Cabinet Minister had dared to respond.

It is clear that the Cabinet has full and complete information about the contents of the Vijandran videotapes that had been destroyed on the directive of the Attorney-General. This is why the Cabinet is not prepared to openly defend Vijandran and declare that it will ‘sink or swim’ with Vijandran.

However, the higher duty of the Cabinet is safeguard and protect the honour and reputation of Malaysia, and not to pursue some misguided solidarity and loyalty to Vijandran. Knowing the nature of the contents of the Vijandran videotapes, the Cabinet must take action against Vijandran if it is not prepared to openly endorse Vijandran.

Ministers are appointed to be in the Cabinet to make haro and sometimes unpleasant decisions, and not to run away from decisions as all the Ministers are doing on the AG/VIJI scandal.