Press Statement (2) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Sunday, July 29, 1990:
DAP prepared to return to the NECC if Dr. Mahathir is sincere about the NECC and will abide by the NECC report
After the opening of the 37th MCA General Assembly yesterday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, again attacked the DAP for our withdrawal from the National Economic Consultative Council (NECC).
Dr. Mahathir expressed regret over the DAP’s withdrawal from the NECC, claiming that the DAP was undemocratic and wanted to politicise the issue to run down the Government.
It is Dr. Mahathir and the Barisan Nasional who are guilty of trying to politicise the NECC issue to their electoral advantage, while not sincere in wanting a genuine forum to work out a national consensus on the post-1990 national economic policies.
If Dr. Mahathir is sincere about the NECC as the forum to work out a national consensus for post-1990 economic policies, and undertakes to accept the NECC report as the basis for post-1990 national economic policies, the DAP is prepared to return to the National Economic Consultative Council.
However, the DAP representatives in the NECC have found from our participation in the NECC that the Barisan Nasional was never serious about the NECC, denying to NECC members data about national economic policies and performance needed for meaningful discussion about post-1990 national economic policies.
If Dr. Mahathir is serious and sincere in wanting the NECC to be the highest forum to seek a national consensus on the post-1990 national economic policies, why is it the Barisan Nasional government did not appoint their top leaders into the NECC – but sent instead lightweights whom they could always disown later?
The DAP is prepared to return to the NECC provided it really becomes a meaningful forum to seek national consensus of post-1990 economic policies which will bind the government.