by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday,4th January 1992:
Statement by Lee Kim Sai over the demolition of Johore Bahru ancient temple wall most regrettable
The Statement by the MCA Presiden, Datuk Lee Kim Sai, over the demolition of the 130-year old Johore Bahru ancient temple wall is most regrettable.
Kim Sai said the MCA dies not doubt the sincerity of the Johore Government in preserving the Johore Bahru ancient temple wall and said that he events leading to its demolition were regrettable.
If the Johore Government had no intention of demolishing the 130-year-old Johore Bahru ancient temple wall, then is Lee Kim Sai admitting, on behalf of the MCA national leadership, that the Johore MCA Exco Members and State Assemblyman had been most negligent and irresponsible in finally allowing the Johore Bahru ancient temple wall to be demolished?
Up to now, MCA national and state leaders, like the MCA National Vice Chairman, Chua Jui Meng, Johore MCA Exco Member Jommy Low and Gelang Patah MCA Assemblymen, Chang See Ten, have been disclaiming responsibility for the demolition of the Johore Bahru ancient temple wall, claiming that the MCA ‘had done its utmost’!
However, Kim Sai’s statement seems to echo that of the UMNO Johore Bahru MP, Khalid Nordin, who said last Tuesday that “if the Johore Bahru Chinese Association, after receipt of the representatives who could preserve the ancient temple wall, it would not have lost the ancient temple wall”.
He said that the Johore Bahru Chinese Association should have acted decisively when it received the demolition notice, and acted decisively to fight for time and act through ‘capable’ elected representatives to petition the State Government to withdraw the demolition notice.
Khalid Nordin said that it was because the Johore Bahru Chinese Association approached elected representatives who are ‘incapable of help’ that created the situation whereby Johore Bahru ancient temple wall could not be saved in the last minute.
This is a devastating judgement by an UMNO MP on the capabilities and qualities of the Johore MCA leadership, which is headed by none other than MCA President, Datuk Dr.Ling Liong Sik, himself. The Johore Bahru UMNO MP was tantamount to saying and condemning the MCA leadership as utterly ‘incapable, useless and impotent’!
As head of MCA Disciplinary Committee, Lee Kim Sai should ask Long Hoo Hin to show cause why he should not be disciplined for disappearing from Johore Bahru at the most crucial time
Lee Kim Sai is the Chairman of the MCA Disciplinary Committee. He should inquire unto the ‘disappearance’ of the MCA Assemblyman for Gertak Merah, Long Hoo Hin, who specifically campaigned for Chinese support in the last general elections on the pledge that the Johore Bahru ancient temple wall would be retained, protected and preserved?
Is it true that Long Hoo Hin had know of the proposed demolition of the Johore Bahru ancient temple wall in advance, and had disappeared overseas so that he would be away from Johore Bahru at the most crucial time for the Johore Bahru ancient temple wall-even missing the entire Johore State Assembly meeting in mid-December.
If so, them the MCA Disciplinary Committee should ask Long Hoo Hin to show cause why he should not be disciplined and expelled from the MCA.