by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 9th January 1992:
Third Challenge to Liong Sik and Keng Yaik: Declare whether MCA and Gerakan oppose everyone of the next 10 of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’ of the PAS Kelantan State Government in its first year in office (No.16 to 25) and want them all repealed?
I have issued two challenges to the MCA President, Datuk Dr.Ling Liong Sik and the Gerakan President, Datuk Dr.Lim Keng Yaik, to declare their stand on the so-called ‘62 Islamisation measures’ of the PAS Kelantan State Government in its first year in office-which MCA and Gerakan had been using to attack the DAP for the past few months.
In my first two challenges, I had challenged the Presidents of MCA and Gerakan to take a stand on the first 15 of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’ and declare whether they want the DAP leaders during their visit and meeting with PAS Kelantan State Government leaders at the end of the month to protest against everyone of them and to demand their abolition.
Today, I am issuing my third challenge to Linog Sik and Keng Yaik to declare their stand on the next 10 of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’ of the PAS Kelantan State Government, (No.16 to 25), and whether they oppose every one of them and want all of them to be repealed.
Liong Sik and Keng Yaik are probably ignorant of the contents of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’
Let me advise Liong Sik and Keng Yaik that their silence will only raise question in the people’s mind as to why they are not prepared to take a public stand on each of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’ of the PAS Kelantan State Government, and yet for the past few months, hardly a day passes without the MCA or the Gerakan attacking the DAP for these 62 so-called Islamisation measures, when both MCA and Gerakan well know that the DAP has no connection or relationsjip with PAS whatsoever.
Or has the MCA and Gerakan, being parties which survive only on political opportunism, have on stand whatsoever on each of these 62 ‘Islamisation measures’ of the PAS Kelantan State Government, and they are only interested in attacking the DAP regardless of the means?
Liong Sik and Keng Yaik are probably ignorant of the contents of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’, although this has not stopped them from using them to attack the DAP.
If the MCA and Gerakan Presidents are probably ignorant of the contents of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’, they will indeed find difficulty in responding to my challenges.
However, the time has come for Liong Sik and Keng Yaik to peruse these ’62 Islamisation measures’ and then declare their stand on them, one by one. This is why I am giving them an opportunity to read up on the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’, and making it easy for them by taking them in batches, with five ‘Islamisation measures’ in the first challenge, and ten ‘Islamisation measures’ in the second and third challenges.
After my first challenge, although Liong Sik and Keng Yaik maintained their silence, some lowly MCA and Gerakan officials in their statements complained that I had chosen five measures which have the ‘least Islamisation coloration’.
This is most laughable, for I had not chosen five measures with ‘least Islamisation coloration’ to challenge Liong Sik and Keng Yaik, but it was the first challenge starting with the first five of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’.
This third batch of 10 of the’62 Islamisation measures’ (i.e. from No.16 to 25) has several with me the ‘Islamisation coloration’ that MCA and Gerakan love. So let Liong Sik and Keng Yaik declare their stand on everyone of them.
MCA and Gerakan publicists have also tried to distort the DAP challenges by claiming that this is proof that the DAP supports the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’-which is completely baseless and groundless.
The issue arising from the DAP challenges is what is the stand of the MCA and Gerakan Presidents on everyone of the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’, and let them not run away from it !]
Visit of DAP leaders to Kelantan tentatively fixed for January 28 and 29
The visit of DAP leaders to Kelantan to meet with PAS Kelantan government leaders and the people of Kelantan is tentatively fixed for January 28 and 29, and so let us hear Liong Sik and Keng Yaik declare their party’s stand on the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’.
If Liong Sik and Keng Yaik dare not declare whether the MCA and Gerakan oppose everyone of the first 25 of the 62 Islamisation measures contained in my three challenges (i.e. No.1-25), something is very wrong with MCA and Gerakan.
The further 10 ‘Islamisation measures’ which I am challenging Liong Sik and Keng Yaik to declare their stand are as follows:
“No.16. Memberi galakaan supaya masjid-masjid dijadikan sebagai pusat bantuan orang-orang miskin, membekalkan perkhidmatan pinjaman tanpa faedah;
17. Membekalkan pinjaman yang sesuai dengan ajaran Islam untuk para kakitangan kerajaan membeli kereta dan rumah. Pinjaman yang sedemikian dikatakan adalah tanpa faedah.
18. Dalam bulan puasa, masa bekerja para kakitangan kerajaan negeri dikurangkan sebanyak satu setengak jam, iaitu bermula daripada 8 pagi, dan berakhir pada 2.45 petang. Masa bekerja bagi kakitangan Kerajaan Persekutuan pula tetap tidak berubah.
19.Wanita Muslim yang bekerja di Jabatan-jabatan kerajaan dan Insitut Berkanun mesti memakai tudung semasa menjalankan tugas.
20.Syarat bekerja para Muslim yang bekerja di sektor swasta, termasuk yang bekerja di syarikat-syarikat kaum bukan Muslim perlu dinilai semula dan dihadkan, ini termasuklan tidak boleh bekerja pada waktu malam dan pakaiannya mestilah mematuhi ajaran Islam.
21.Menilai semula sistem kerja shif malam bagi kaum wanita. Langkah ini tidak meggalakkan wanita bekerja pada shif malam.
22.Pakaian pekerja-pekerja wanita di psaraya, pusat membeli-belah serta kedai-kedai mestilah mengikut ajaran Islam dan tidak boleh mendedahkan bahagian-bahagian tubuh.
23.Bermula daripada bulan Janayini, wanita berama Islam mesti memakai pakaian mengikut ajaran Islam, wanita yang bukan beragama Islam pula perlu berpakaian kemas dan tidak boleh mendedahkan bahagian-bahagian tubuh.
24.Mengingatkan para pelancong yang memasuki negeri Kelantan supaya berpakaian kemas dan tidak menentang peraturan-peraturan Islam. Ini dilakukan melalaui syarikat-syarikat pelancungan, pusat publisiti serta edaran –edaran.
25.Papan-papan iklan yang bercanggah dengan amalan ajaran Islam tidak boleh dipamerkan, gambar-gambar iklan yang menonjolkan gerak-geri wanita yang tidak sopan ataupun wanita Islam yang tidak mengikuti kod pakaian Islam tidak boleh dipamerkan juga.”