by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, January 7, 1992:
Does Liong Sik want the Kelantan Mentri Besar, Nik Abdul Aziz, to encourage corrupt practices so that he could receive gifts during his official visits or spend lavishly as buying new cars for himself and other top government officials
This is a reminder to the MCA President, Datuk Dr.Ling Liong Sik and the Gerakan President, Dr.Lim Keng Yaik, that on Sunday, I issued two challenges to them to respond within five days: Firstly, whether MCA and Gerakan oppose all the 62 so-called Islamisation measures of the PAS Kelantan
Government in its first months in office, and secondly, whether they want the DAP leaders to protest and to demand the Abolition of the first five of the 62 so-called Islamisation measures when they visit and meet PAS Kelantam Government leaders at the end of the month.
Let me also declare that I am not interested in the respone from the other MCA small-fries, like the Director of the MCA National Publicity Bureau, Datuk Wong See Wah, who clearly did not know that what he was talking about in his statement today.
Datuk Wong See Wah is very categorical that Dr.Ling Liong sik opposes all the 62 so-called Islamisation measures of the PAS Kelantan Government in its first months in office. Has Wong See Wah the full authority of Liong Sik to make this statement?
I want to ask Liong Sik why he is afraid to declare publicly that he and the MCA oppose all the 62 so-called Islamisation measures of the PAS Kelantan Government?
Liong Sik should explain why he is keeping silent instead of coming publicly to respond also to my second challenge and declare his stand on the first five of the 62 so-called Islamisation measures of the PAS Kelantan Government?
Let Liong Sik publicly declare tat he would like the DAP leaders, during their visit to Kelantan at the end of the month, to protest against these first five measures because:
Had MCA Leadership ever protested against the reading of Quran at Federal Government official functions?
(1)the MCA are opposed to the Kelantan to the Kelantan Mentri Besar, State Exco Members anmd government officials using old cars of previous government officials to save public funds, and insist that they should waste public funds by buying new vehicles for themselves;
(2)the MCA leaders oppose the abolition of daily subsidy feast allowance to the Mentri Besar and Deputy Mentri Besar, including festivity jamuan expenditures, both big and small, because the leadership wants the Kelantan State Government leaders to be extravagant and spend lavishly on public expenses for daily official feasts;
(3)the MCA leaders oppose the reduction of allowance for Mentri Besar and all Assemblymen, with 40 per cent of Mentri Besar’s monthly allowance to be donated to PAS and five per cent to the state of thrift and modest, and do not want the Mentri Mesar to set an example of thrift and modest, unextravagant style of living;
(4)the MCA leaders oppose the rule to discourage corruption and waste of government funds by prohibiting gifts or souvenirs at official ceremonies/functions/visits as the MCA leadership wants the PAS Kelantan State Government to encourage corrupt practises and waste of public funds by allowing such practices
(5)the MCA leader oppose the introduction of compulsory reading of Quran at the beginning and end of every official state function. Liong Sik should also explain whether the MCA leadership had ever protested against the reading of Quran at Federal Government official functions? Or does the MCA leadership support the reading of Quran at official functions of the Federal Government and of other State Governments, except in Kelantan?
Only a politician who is very shallow in thinking could jump to the conclusion that when I challenged Liong Sik to declare his stand on the 62 so-called Islamisation measures of the PAS Kelantan Government in its first months in office, it means that I or the DAP are in full support of them.
The DAP had never declared that it supported all the 62 so-called Islamisation measures. But as the MCA had been attacking the DAP daily for being responsible for these 62 measures, the time has come for the MCA leadership to be made to declare its stand on everyone of the 62 so-called Islamisation measures, including measures aimed to combat corrupt practice and abuse of power?
It is very sad that I have to point out such an elementary thing to someone who is holding the post of Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, which is a poor reflect of the low calibre of MCA leaders in Government.
Only a person like him can be so ignorant as to ask why I had only referred to the first five of the 62 so-called Islamisation measures. The answer is very simple-I am waiting for Liong Sik to answer first, and then I will be taking the MCA President, batch by batch, to the rest of the 62 so-called Islamisation measures.
If Liong Sik does not have the courage to respond to the first five of the 62 so-called Islamisation measures of the PAS Kelantan State Government in its first year in office, how can I expect him to respond to the other 57 measures?