PRESS Conference Statement (3) by Parliametary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Friday, 4th May 1990 at 11.30 a.m.:
Call on Election Commission to explain the discrepancy of 26,000 voters in two sets of figures it released in a matter of two weeks on the number of new voters registered in March
Penolong Setiausaha Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya, Encik Abdul Hamid Ali, was reported in the Berita Harian 25th April as saying that the Election Commission registered 411,482 new voters in the 27-day snap voters’ registration exercise from March 1 to 27.
However, two weeks earlier, on 112th April, Ketua Penolong Setiausaha Operasi 1 of the Election Commission, Encik Mohd. Yusof Mohd. Noor, told Utusan Malaysia that the Election Commission registered 437,279 new voters in last month’s voters’ registration campaign.
There is a discrepancy of 25,797 new voters in these two sets of figures given by the Election Commission in a period of two weeks.
The Malaysia public is entitled to know the reason for this discrepancy on the registration of 26,000 new voters in March, as to what actually happened.
At a time when the independence of the Election Commission is under grave doubt, the Election Commission must act swiftly to allay whatever doubts and queries that can arise.
Call on MIC President, Datuk Samy Vellu, to explain why the 60,000 members of Koperasi Nesa and Koperasi Majujaya with $43 million investment have not received their dollar-for-dollar payments
When I attended the Malaysia Indian Economic Congress 1990 organised by the Tamilian Social & Welfare Association on May Day last Tuesday, I promised the participants that DAP MPs will raise in the June meeting of Parliament the grievances of the members of the Koperasi NESA and Koperasi Majujay, both of which had been frozen by Bank Negara.
I call on the MIC President, Datuk Samy Vellu to explain why Bank Negara had not returned to the 35,000 NESA members and 25,000 Majujaya members their hard-earning savings in these two co-operatives on a dollar-to-dollar basis, although Bank Negara has given agreement in principle.
The monies involved are $29 million for NESA and $4 million for Majujaya. I have received complaints that MIC President had blocked the return of the hard-earning savings of the NESA and Majujaya members purely because of internal MIC power struggle.
If this is true, then the interests and rights of the 60,000 co-operative members are being sacrificed to the political warfare between MIC leaders.