The ouster of LDP from power in Japan after 38 years in government, because of politics of money and corruption should be a warning to Barisan Nasional that the same historic development can take place in Malaysia

by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Friday, July 30, 1993:

The ouster of LDP from power in Japan after 38 years in government, because of politics of money and corruption should be a warning to Barisan Nasional that the same historic development can take place in Malaysia

DAP welcomes the historic political development in Japan where ‘what had appeared to be politically impossible three months ago had proved to be possible and achievable.

For the first time in four decades, the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party had been thrown out of power, and seven Opposition political parties in Japan had decided to form a coalition -government with anti-graft campaigner Morihiro Hosokawa as its candidate for Prime Minister.

The ouster of LDP from power in Japan after 30 years in government because of the polities of money and corruption should be a warning to Barisan Nasional that the same historic development can take place in Malaysia, and that UMNO and Barisan Kasional could go the way of LDP in Japan.

In fact, there is a ‘uprising’ against money politics and political corruption not only in Japan, but in many countries which the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, had asked Malaysians to emulate in his ‘Look East Policy.”

For instance, in South Korea, the first civilian president in three decades, Kim Young-Sam is waging a clean-up of awesome proportions and 3,000 Government officials, businessmen and politicians have been fired, reprimanded or jailed on bribery charges.

In Taiwan, a new “sunshine law” had been enacted requiring some 23,000 civil servants, military officers and judges to report their family assets. Nearly 1,000 ranking officials must do so publicly, while 629 top political leaders, including the president, the premier and members of the cabinet, and all legislators, must deposit, their financial holdings in blind trusts.

In Thailand, a Cabinet, with too many Ministers who had accumulated ‘extraordinary and unusual wealth’ disproportionate to the known sources of income was toppled.

Malaysia seems to be the exception, as illustrated by the following developments:

*After 16 months, the Anti-Corruption Agency could still not conclude its investigations into the MIC President and Minister for Energy, Telekoms and Post, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu in connection with the MAIKA Telekom shares hijacking scandal:

*The scandal of the Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik, accumulating extraordinary and unusual wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

* The blatant attempt by the Parliamentary Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Othman Abdul in Parliament on Wednesday to mislead Parliament and the country when he claimed that the Anti-Corrupt ion Agency had not submitted a draft legislation for expanded powers so as to be more effective in the fight against corruption. The; Director-General of ACA, Tan Sri Zulkifli, himself told me when I met him last year that the ACA had submitted draft legislation for a more effective fight against, corruption to the Government, and that it was with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Tan Sri Zulkifli had also made such an announcement to the press.

DAP calls on Mahathir to convene a special Cabinet, meeting to discuss how Malaysia could fully participate in the Asian up-rising against the politics of money and political corruption

DAP calls on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir to convene a special Cabinet meeting to discuss how Malaysia could fully participate in the Asian up-rising against the politics of money and political corruption.

It is clear that new standards are urgently needed for political leaders, especially those holding high office in government, to set the example of a clean, trustworthy, accountable and transparent, leadership in Malaysia.