by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, January 30, 1992:
MCA Ministers have become the highest-paid rumour-mongers in the country
Yesterday, the MCA Secretary-General and Minister for Housing and Local Government, Dr. Ting Chew Peh, repeated the MCA allegation about the oppression and persecution of the Chinese in Kelantan by reiterating that the PAS-led Kelantan State Government had infringed the rights and interests of the Chinese in Kelantan through 62 Islamisation measures.
MCA Ministers have become the highest-paid rumour-mongers in the country. Through the daily spreading of these rumours, whether by themselves or through other MCA officials, they are responsible for the beliefs among the Chinese in Malaysia that the Chinese in Kelantan cannot eat pork, drink beer, go to unisex saloon, must close business during prayer times, women cannot work the night shift and Chinese women must cover their heads and wear Islamic attire.
MCA Ministers are only content to be rumour-mongers but are not prepared to verify or find out the truth, as otherwise, they cannot continue to rumour-monger. This is why the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, dare not accept my invitation to jointly visit Kelantan to find out whether it is true that the Chinese in Kelantan had been ‘oppressed’ and ‘persecuted’ by the 62 Islamisation measures of the Kelantan State Government which infringed their rights and interests.
In fact, the MCA President and national leadership was unable to respond when on Monday, I sent an urgent fax to Liong Sik for five instances of ‘oppression’ and ‘persecution’ of the Chinese by Islamisation measures which infringe their rights and interests, so that I could take them up with the Kelantan Mentri Besar, Haji Nik Aziz Nik Mat, in our meeting.
MCA and Gerakan accuse the DAP of a sell-out in the meeting with Kelantan Mentri Besar while UMNO accuse PAS of a betrayal
In the last two days, MCA and Gerakan national, state and local leaders are competing with each other to declare that the visit of the DAP delegation to Kelantan and meeting with the Kelantan Mentri Besar was a greet failure, a major ‘sell-out’ and an attempt to defend and justify the actions of the PAS-led Kelantan state government.
At the same time, however, UMNO is doing the opposite – spreading the propaganda that PAS had committed a major betrayal of Islam and Islamic principles as a result of the meeting!
This is best reflected in a report in the Utusan Malaysia today under the headline “Masyarakat Islam Kelantan kecewa hasil pertemuan Nik Aziz-Kit Siang”. This report said:
“Kota Bahru: Masyarakat beragama Islam di Kelantan kecewa dengan pertemuan and perbincangan antara Menteri Besar Kelantan, Haji Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat dengan delegasi para pemimpin DAP disini kelmarin.
“Bagaimanapun, hasil pertemuan antara Setiausaha Agong DAP, Encik Lim Kit Siang dan rakan-rakannya dengan Haji Nik Aziz, menghampakan masyarakat negeri ini”
The report also said: “Jelas sekali pertemuan itu tidak menepati janji-janji PAS kepada rakyat Kelantan.
“Janji PAS untuk mengharamkan penjualan minuman keras tidak dapat dipraktikkan seperti yang dituntut oleh Islam bila pertemuan Nik Aziz dengan Lim Kit Siang masih membenarkan peniaga-peniaga membangkitkan terus kepada pihak berkuasa tempatan untuk mengkajinya.
“Masyarakat Islam dapat melihat perundingan itu merugikan Islam kerana PAS gagal untuk mempertahankan ajaran Islam yang seharusnya tidak boleh dipertikaikan oleh sesiapa pun selaras dengan hukum Islam yang berpandukan kepada ajaran Al-Quran dan Hadis.
“Dalam melaksanakan hukum dan ajaran Islam tidak seharusnya ada tawar-menawar terutama dalam sebuah negeri yang diperintah oleh PAS kerana Islam adalah ajaran yang suci yang telah diterima tanpa sebarang perbahasan di negara ini dibawah pimpinan Kerajaan Barisan Nasional di mana Islam sebagai agama rasmi negara.
“Apa yang mengelirukan ialah cara PAS memperjuangkan hukum Islam telah merugikan Islam yang memberi peluang kepada masyarakat bukan Islam mempertikaikan kemuliaan ajaran Islam”
The report also said: “Para pemerhati politik dinegeri ini menyifatkan tolak ansur PAS dalam melaksanakan hukum Islam dalam masa pertemuan dengan DAP membayangkan PAS telah membuka pintu kepada masyarakat bukan Islam supaya mempertikaikan kesucian ajaran Islam.
“Menurut mereka, PAS telah mencemarkan Islam kerana gagal memilih satu pendekatan yang sesuai supaya pelaksanaan hukum Islam dapat diterima dengan baik oleh golongan bukan Islam tanpa dibahaskan di depan umum.
“Yang paling menghampakan apabila pemimpin DAP tidak menjelaskan pendirian mereka apapbila ditanya oleh para wartawan di Kota Darul Naim sama ada DAP menerima konsep negara Islam.
“Ia memberi pengertian usaha-usaha PAS untuk melaksanakan dasar Islamisasi belum mendapat persetujuan dari DAP di mana seorang pemimpin DAP pernah meminta PAS supaya melupakan cita-cita untuk mewujudkan negara Islam kalau PAS mahu DAP menyokong partinya.
“Kita tidak menafikan perjuangan PAS terhadap Islam tetapi yang menimbulkan kebimbangan kepada rakyat negeri ini khususnya ialah tentang pendirian PAS untuk melaksanakan hukum Islam terhadap sesuatu yang haram di sisi Islam akan dikaji atau akan dirunding dengan golongan bukan Islam.
“Perjumpaan PAS dengan mendedahkan kepada kita tentang pendirian PAS terhadap hukum Islam lebih rendah daripada muslihat politik kepartian”.
If DAP and PAS had ‘sold out’ at the meeting, who was the ‘buyer’ and beneficiary of such ‘sell-outs’?
The meeting of the DAP delegation and the Kelantan Mentri Besar seems to have panicked the Barisan Nasional component parties, to the extent that MCA and Gerakan are attacking the DAP for selling out the rights of the Chinese in Kelantan while UMNO is accusing PAS for selling out the Islamic faith at the meeting.
Of course, MCA, Gerakan and UMNO do not explain how it was possible that at the one and same meeting, DAP was ‘selling out’ the interests of the Chinese in Kelantan while PAS was ‘selling out’ the Islamic faith! If everybody was ‘selling out’ at the meeting, who was the ‘buyer’ and beneficiary of these ‘sell-outs’!
I will urge the MCA , Gerakan and UMNO leaders to be more responsible and not resort to the most unscrupulous tactics just for their petty party political interests, reckless of the harm they are doing to the people and country.
MCA Ministers and leaders are only good at rumour-mongering and shouting falsehoods from a distance instead of going to Kelantan to find out the true facts and to help resolve the problems faced by the Chinese in Kelantan.
The DAP delegation visited Kelantan and met the Mentri Besar not to score victory or claim credit but to find out the true situation of the Chinese in Kelantan and to convey the views, apprehensions and fears of the Chinese in Kelantan to the Kelantan State Government.
Chinese in Kelantan who have problems would seek the help of Chua Chee Seng and Tan Chee Joo
The Vice Chairman of the Kelantan Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Chua Chee Seng, said that the visit of the DAP delegation to Kelantan ‘cannot help the Chinese to resolve the problem faced by the Chinese community’.
The Chairman of the Kelantan Chinese Schools Boards of Management, Tan Chee Joo, also said that the visit of the DAP delegation cannot produce ‘positive results’ for the Chinese community in Kelantan.
The Chinese in Kelantan are fully aware of the political history and background of Chua Chee Seng and Tan Chee Joo.
The DAP delegation went to Kelantan on a fact-finding mission and to convey to the Kelantan Mentri Besar the views, apprehensions and fears of the Chinese in Kelantan, the DAP’s stand and proposals as to how these widespread fears and apprehensions of the Chinese in Kelantan could be allayed and resolved.
Chua Chee Seng and Tan Chee Joo did not meet us or rendered any help in our fact-finding mission, but they are very good at ‘firing cold arrows’ after our visit.
May be Chua Chee Seng and Tan Chee Joo can still help in establishing the factual situation in Kelantan, and publicly state whether it is true that the Chinese in Kelantan.
(i) cannot eat pork;
(ii) cannot drink beer publicly but must ‘hide and steathily’ drink;
(iii) cannot buy or sell liquor;
(iv) must stop business during Muslim prayers;
(v) cannot go to unisex saloons;
(vi) Chinese women must cover their heads and wear Islamic attire;
(vii) women cannot work night shift; and
(viii) Chinese signboards must be taken down and replaced with Jawi characters.
Or do Chua Chee Seng and Tan Chee Joo want the Chinese in Malaysia to believe that the Chinese in Kelantan are prohibited from doing all these things?
As I said at the Kota Bahru ceramah-dialogue with the people of Kelantan on Monday night, the DAP makes no promise whatsoever to resolve all problems of the Chinese in Kelantan – for if we can make such a promise, the DAP would be running the Kelantan State Government.
In view of their position in the Chinese community and organisations, as well as their well-known political background and history, the Chinese in Kelantan should seek the help of Chua Chee Seng and Tan Chee Joo when they faced any problem in the State.
In fact, there would have been no need for the DAP delegation to visit Kelantan and meet the Mentri Besar if Chua Chee Seng and Tan Chee Joo had come forward to use their great experience and influence in Chinese community and political background to deal with the problems of the Chinese in Kelantan.