Challenge to Liong Sik and Keng Yaik to declare the stand of MCA and Gerakan on the next ten (No.6 to No.15) of the so-called 62 PAS Kelantan State Government Islamisation measures

by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, January 8, 1992:

Challenge to Liong Sik and Keng Yaik to declare the stand of MCA and Gerakan on the next ten (No.6 to No.15) of the so-called 62 PAS Kelantan State Government Islamisation measures

Both the MCA and Gerakan top leadership seemed to be plunged into a crisis when the MCA President, Datuk Dr.Ling Liong Sik and the Gerakan President, Datuk Dr.Lim Keng Yaik, were challenged to declare within five days whether they oppose all the 62 so-called Islamisation measures of the PAS Kelantan State Government in its first year in office.

Both Liong Sik and Keng Yaik knew that they were cornered when I asked them to specifically declare whether they want the DAP leaders, during our visit and meeting with the PAS Kelantan State

Government leaders at the end of the month, to protest and demand the repeal of the first five of the 62 ‘Islamisation’ measures.

Only political leaders with retarded political sense like Wong See Wah of mCA would have issued a public statement to ask why I had only asked about the first five of the 62 Islamisation measures, and not referred to the rest.

The reason is very simple-that I intend to do so, batch by batch, and this is what I proposes to do in my second step to expose the utter hypocrisy and opportunism of the MCA and Gerakan leadership on the issue of the so-called 62 Islamisation measures of the Kelantan State Government.

The five days’ notice to Liong Sik and Keng Yaik expires on Friday, and I hope that at least, the Saturday’s newspaper would carry their response and stand.

If they dare to reply and declare their stand on the first five of the 62 Islamisation measures of PAS Kelantan State Government, let them also declare their stand on the next 10 (i.e. No.6 to No.15) of the 62 Islamisation measures, namely:

“6. Semasa melantik ketua kampong/penghulu, orang yang dicalunkan perlu fasih dalam melafazkan ayat-ayat suci Al-Quran;

7.Wanita dihalang daripada menyertai Musabaqah, kerana wanita tidak sesuai menjunjukkan bakat mereka secare terbuka. Ini menyebabkan wanita yang ingin menyertai pertandingan inti tidak boleh mewakili negeri Kelantan;

8.Tubuhkan Yayasan Serambi Mekah denagn tujuan mengutip derma untuk menghadapi masalah kewangan;

9.Mengasingkan perniagaan yang dijalankan oleh rakyat bukan Muslim dan yang tidak memenuhi syarat ajaran Islam, misalnya jutipan cukai daripada penjualan arak, babi, faedah dll, diletakkan kedalam yayasan yang berasingan;

10.Mengajak rakyat bukan Muslim menghadiri perayaan dan upacara Islam supaya mereka lebih memahami Islam;

11.Cuti bersalin bagi kakitangan wanita kerajaan ditambah daripada 42 hari menjadi dua bulan;

12. Melaksanakan sistem ekonomi Islam, menggalakkan bank supaya mengamalkan sistem tanp faedah;

13.Memindahkan simpanan kerajaan kedalam Bank Islam;

14.Meminta kerjasama daripada kerajaan pusat supaya menghapuskan sistem faedah di Institusi kewangan, supaya mengikuti sistem tanpa faeda seperti yang disebut di dalam ajaran Islam; dan

15.Menilai semula sistem pajak gadai dan menggantikannya dengan sistem Islam dan mendirikan sistem pajak gadai tanpa faedah.”

For the past two months, the MCA and Gerakan leaders had been attacking the DAP for the so-called 62 Islamisation measures of the PAS Kelantan State Government although the DAP has no connection or relationship whatsoever with PAS.

Test of credibility and integrity of MCA and Gerakan and whether MCA and Gerakan leaders are political opportunists without any principle whatsoever

Now is the time for Liong Sik and Keng Yaik to demonstrate that they are not political opportunists and hypocrites but are political leaders with clear principles.

Ling Liong Sik and Keng Yaik declare openly and publicly, for instance, that MCA and Gerakan oppose Measure No.11, which increased maternity leave for a state civil servant from 42 to 60 days.

Also let Liong Sik and Keng Yaik declare that they oppose Measures No12 and 13, but they must also explain why they supported the establishment of Bank Islam in Cabinet and Parliament, and also supported the Finance Ministry putting government funds in Bank Islam.

Is the MCA and Gerakan’s stand on Islamisation dependent on whether it is by UMNO or PAS-where they give unthinking support to any Islamisation measures by UMNO and blind opposiion to any Islamisation measures by PAS?

Both Liong SIk and Keng Yaik should realise that the issue at present is bigger than the MCA and Gerakan declaring their stand on each of the so-called 62 Islamisation measures of PAS Kelantan State
Government in its first year of office, but a test firstly, of the credibility and integrity of both MCA and Gerakan as to whether they are political parties with principles, and secondly, whether MCA and Gerakan leaders are just political opportunists without any principle at all.