Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at the official opening of the Malacca DAP State Leadership ‘Party Reform’ Conference held at Pay Fong Chinese Independent Secondary School Hall on Sunday, 19th January 1992 at 9.30 a.m.
Kit Siang writes to Bank Pertanian Malaysia Chairman to ask for meeting with Board of Director or BPM top management on the $410 million BPM Scandal
In his speech at the Third Bumiputra Economic Congress, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr.Mahathir Mohamed, said that business and industry require good ethics and conceded that there are businessmen who became rich through cheating. He mentioned international examples like Robert Maxwell, Charles Keating Jr., Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken.
What is significant is not the American and British examples mentioned by Dr.Mahathir, nit his omission of an even greater criminal rogue than those he had named. Dr.Mahathir had omitted to mention a person who had been described as “ranks as one of the great criminal minds of his time” and who put the international examples he had mentioned into the shade-the Pakistani banker, Agha Hasan Abedi, the founder of Bank of Credit & Commerce International (BCCI).
When the BCCI collapsed last year, it brought disaster for more than one million depositors in 62 countries throughout the world. Agha Hasan Abedi was accused of perpetrating “the biggest fraud in the history of world finance. Out of BCCI’s US $20 billion or more in assets last year, less than US$2 billion is recoverable as most of the money had disappeared in outright theft, uncollectible loans, bribes and losses on trading.
The omission of Agha Hasan Abedi and BCCI from Dr.Mahathir’s international rogues’ gallery is as conspicuous and startling as not to mention Malaysia when referring to the nations which are the top producers of rubber.
This raises the question whether this is another case of double standards by the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional Government even on question of ethics, fraud and corruption.
Malaysians have the right to know whether the Barisan Nasional Government is sincere and serious in its fight against corruption, unethical practices and all forms of financial scandals.
I had recently exposed the $410 million Bank Pertanian scandal in the three years from 1988 to 1990, but to date, there has been no response or even denial from the BPM, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bank Negara or the Finance Ministry.
Malaysians had been hit by so many financial scandals, that some seemed numbed by more scandals even involving hundreds of millions of ringgit.
I have yesterday written to the Bank Pertanian Malaysia (BPM) Chairman, Datuk Abu Bakar bin Raution Ibrahim asking for a meeting with the Board of Directors or the top management of the BPM for their explanation for the $410 million BPM Scandal.
My letter to the BPM Chairman reads:
“18th January 1992
TB Datuk Hj.Mohd. Abu Bakar bin Rautin Ibrahim,
Chairman,
Bank Pertanian Malaysia.
Yang Berhormat Datuk,
Request for a meeting either with the Board of Directors or the top management on the $410 million Bank Pertanian scandal
I refer to the Watan reports on the $410 miilion Bank Pertanian scandal which called for a full explanation and accounting.
An explanation is also called for as to how Bank Pertanian Malaysia was declared buy its general manager, Encik Ibrahim Hashim, in the Business Times of 22nd March 1991 as “sure to collapse in the near future” if there was no immediate injection of $400 million loan from Bank Negara, but when Bank Negara did not do so, BPM could turn around in a matter of months to the extent that the Minister for Agriculture could announce that BPM was making profits!
Furthermore, an explanation is also needed as whether it was true that there had been three different sets of Statements of Accounts for Bank Pertanian for the midyear of 1991.
I am writing to ask for a meeting either with the Board of Directors or the top management of BPM for an explanation of these matters for the following reasons:
Firstly, the matters concerned issues of grave and urgent public importance, especially as it involved $410 million.
Secondly, this request for a meeting is made in the spirit of one of the resolutions adopted in the recent Third Bumiputera Economic Congress which called for the “review of the performance and role of government agencies and to increase accountability.”
Thirdly, the statement by the Minister of Agriculture, Datuk Seri Sanusi Junid, in Watan of 19th January 1992 that Bank Pertanian “mempunyai jawapan dan asas yang kukuh” dan beliau “menyerah kepada Bank Pertanian untuk menjawab segala persoalan berhubung dengan kerugian yang ditanggung oleh bank itu”.
Datuk Sanusi told Watan:”Bank Pertanian ada jawapan semua perkara yang ditimbulkan oleh akhbar Watan dan adalah kurang jelas jika Kementerian Pertanian yang menjawab perkara itu.”
Watan also reported:
“Sementara itu salah seorang anggota Lembaga Pengarah Bank Pertaniian, Datuk Basri Bajuri ketika dihubung di kediamannya di Hulu Langat menyerah kepada Pengerusi Bank Pertanian sendiri Datuk Haji Abu Bakar Rautin untuk mengulas kedudukan dan perjalanan bank itu sekarang.
“Menurutnya walaupun beliau salah seorang anggota Lembaga Pengarah bank itu tetapi beliau tidak dapat mengulas lebih lanjut berhubung dengan kerugian yang ditanngung oleh Bank Pertanian.
“Biarlah Pengerusi sendiri yang menjelaskan semua perkara ini,’ ujar beliau.”
I will be accompanied to the meeting by other MPs who are concerned about the $410 million scandal in Bank Pertanian Malaysia.
Please let me know of the proposed date, time and venue of the meeting convenient for the Board of Directors or the BPM top management.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
(Lim Kit Siang)
Ketua Pembangkang Parliamen”
I hope the BPM Chairman, Abu Bakar Rautin, would act on the promise of the Minister for Agriculture and meet DAP MPs face-to-face to fully clear the air about the $410 million BPM scandal.
Malacca DAP congratulated for championing the people’s rights in the Malacca water scandal and forcing the closure of Mardec factory
The DAP Central Executive Committee wants to congratulate the Malacca DAP for being the foremost champion of the rights of the people of Malacca of all races when the negligence and maladministration of the Malacca State Government and the Malacca Chief Minister created over a year-long prolonged suffering through a government-made water shortage crisis.
The Malacca water crisis and scandal became the talk and joke not only of the country but the world.
For reasons which have not been fully revealed, the Durian Tunggal dam suddenly went fry. When there was no rain, the Malacca people suffered from prolonged water rationing and at times, total breakdown of water supply. When there is heavy rain, water supply was also cut off because of contamination of the pumphouse of the Durian Tunggal dam by the adjoining Mardec latex processing factory.
Kit Siang Challenges Liong Sik and Keng Yaik to public debate on his charge that MCA and Gerakan are highly opportunistic and unprincipled parties for they support Islamisation measures by UMNO but opposes Islamisation measures by PAS
At the Pahang DAP State Leadership ‘Party Reform’ Conference in Temerloh last Sunday, I made a very serious charge against the MCA and Gerakan.
I charged the MCA and Gerakan as highly opportunistic and unprincipled parties because they support Islamisation measures by UMNO but opposes Islamisation measures by PAS.
For the past few months, the DAP had been attacked daily by gangs of MCA and Gerakan ‘cultural assassins’ making the wild and baseless attack that the DAP must bear responsibility for the so-called ’62 Islamisation measures’ of the PAS Kelantan State Government.
I had expected immediate and angry responses from the MCA and Gerakan leaders or their headless and faceless ‘cultural assassins’ to my charge. A week had passed, and despite my repeating this charge in the past few days, there had been no response to this most serious charge from either the MCA and Gerakan.
The reason is very simple. MCA and Gerakan leaders know that my charge is 100 per cent true-that the MCA and Gerakan leaders are highly opportunistic political leaders who have no political principles, as shown by their stand on the Islamisation issue, where they support all Islamisation measures of UMNO but oppose all Islamisation measures of PAS.
If my serious charge against the MCA and Gerakan is untrue, the MCA and Gerakan leaders as well as their gang of headless and faceless would have pounced on me to tear me to pieces.
I am giving the MCA President, Datuk Dr.Ling Liong Sik and Gerakan President, Datuk Dr.Lim Keng Yaik, a final opportunity to come to the defence of their own honour, integrity and credibility.
I challenge Liong Sik and Keng Yaik to a public debate on my charge that MCA and Gerakan are highly opportunistic and unprincipled parties for supporting Islamisation measures by UMNO but opposing Islamisation measures by PAS.
Liong Sik and Keng Yaik should know that DAP leaders who make charges against the MCA and Gerakan are prepared to publicly defend them when challenged to a public debate, for we are backed with facts and evidence.
Let Liong Sik and Keng Yaik show similar qualities if they want to make charges against the DAP.
Dare Liong Sik and Keng Yaik charge the DAP for being opportunistic and unprincipled parties on the issue of Islamisation, and defend their charges in a public debate with the DAP?