Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at the DAP Petaling Jaya Election Committee meeting held at Sea Park Branch in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, September 4, 1990 at 8.30 p.m.
DAP calls on the Registrar of Companies to take action against the Bolton Properties directors for breaking the law in giving a $8.9 million interest-free loan to Ling Liong Sik to acquire 5 million shares in Bolton Finance
Yesterday, at the Malacca DAP ceramah to welcome the entry into the DAP of 27 Chinese educationists and human rights activists, I challenged the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed to declare the government’s stand on the MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, for violating the law that a Minister cannot engage in any private business.
I had produced a certified copy of a document from the Registry of Companies which showed that Liong Sik had resigned as a director of Pyemas Sdn. Bhd., the money brokerage firm, on 6th June 1986, when he had returned to the Government and become Transport Minister from 7th January 1986.
This means that for five months he had violated the law that a Minister should not engage in any private business.
Tonight, I want to call on the Registrar of Companies to take action against Bolton Properties and its directors for violating the Companies Act in unlawfully approving a $8.9 million interest-free loan to Liong Sik to acquire 5 million shares of Bolton Finance.
The Liong Sik cases, whether involving Pyemas or Bolton Finance, is a test as to whether the Barisan Nasional government upholds the law or is the greatest law-breaker itself.
Mistake to regard Mahathir’s remarks in Malacca as indication that general elections would not be held in these two months
It would be a mistake to regard the remarks by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, in Malacca yesterday as indication that general elections would not be held in these two months
Dr. Mahathir said he would definitely visit South Korea from Sept. 10 to 14, and that he planned to go on another series of visits to the various states to meet Barisan Nasional leaders and supporters.
His remark “We shall see who will last longer” has been construed by some as clear indication that general elections would be held next year.
I do not agree. The possibility of Dr. Mahathir dissolving Parliament after his return from South Korea with general elections being held either at the end of this month or early next month is clearly still on the cards.
The DAP has been engaged in out political struggle for the past 24 years, and we are prepared to continue for the next 24 years to fight for a more just and equal Malaysia.
As for myself, I would personally prefer to have the general elections held next year, for the conditions would be even more ripe for the emergence of a two-coalition system.
I have not received any letter from Dr. Mahathir on the Commonwealth Observer Mission
In his speech in Malacca yesterday, Dr. Mahathir said that he had written to the Opposition parties on the Commonwealth observer mission and was still waiting for a reply.
I have not received any letter or his communication from Dr. Mahathir although the Prime Minister said on his return from Venezuela last month that he would meet and discuss with me the question of the Commonwealth Observer Mission.
When I met Dr. Mahathir for the first time on July 9 to discuss the Commonwealth Observer Mission, Dr. Mahathir agreed with me that the Observer Mission should be guided by four criteria to ensure that the general elections is ‘free, fair, clean and honest’.
Dr. Mahathir said he fully agreed with these four criteria, and claimed that all the general elections in the past had complied with them.
When he spoke at Masjid Tanah in Malacca the next day on July 10, Dr. Mahathir also referred to these four criteria of ‘fair, free, clean and honest’.
However, since then, Dr. Mahathir has not mentioned that he is prepared to let the Commonwealth Observer Mission to come to Malaysia to ensure that the general elections is ‘free, fair, clean and honest’. It would appear that Dr. Mahathir has changed his mind.