by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, June 25, 1993:
Bank Negara should step in to protect the interests of the public in the grand theft of the MBf Finance Kajang Branch safe deposit boxes
Bank Negara should step in to protect the interests of the public in the grand theft of the MBf Finance Kajang Branch safe deposit boxes on Tuesday, where RM100,000 was stolen and 129 of 900 occupied safe deposit boxes were ransacked.
MBF chief executive officer, Tan Sri Loy Hean Heong, said that MBf Finance is prepared to compensate customers who lost their valuables if they could produce proof.
This is a ridiculous statement as Tan Sri Loy Hean Heong knows fully well that it is impossible for anyone to prove what he has put in the safe deposit box.
Tan Sri Loy Hean Heong cannot hide behind the agreement MBf signed with the customers disclaiming responsibility for the any loss for the use of the safe-deposit box, as this is clearly against public interest.
Surely, Tan Sri Loy Hean Heong is not seriously suggesting that MBf has no responsibility whatsoever and that it is the customers who must bear the responsibility for the losses as they chose to use the MBf safe deposit boxes?
This is why Bank Negara must step in to ensure that public interest is protected from such one-sided agreements.
The police reports lodged by the customers in connection with the losses they have suffered as a result of the grand theft of the MBf Kajang safe deposit boxes should be the basis for a full seriously consider suspending the operations of MBf Finance is it is incapable or unwilling to shoulder its responsibility to compensate all losses suffered by its customers.