By Parliamentary Oppsition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, august 25, 1993:
Five challenges to Liong Sik to be accepeted within a week
Yesterday, I challenged the MCA President, Datuk Dr.Ling Liong Sik, to publicly declare his family assets within a week.
Today, I issue four more challenges to Liong Sik for him to accept within a week.
In Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Liong Sik accused me of being ‘politically corrupt’. I advise Liong Sik not to be a coward and hide behind the word ‘politically’. If he wants to accuse me of being ‘corrupt’ as in misappropriating public funds, then he should have the courage to say so clearly and openly without hiding the word ‘politically’.
I therefore challenge Liong Sik to make the straightforward allegation that I am ‘corrupt’ within a week, and I will file a second defamation suit against Liong Sik for injuring my reputation and character.
Liong Sik is behaving as if he is very brave in challenging me to lodge police reports within a week that he (Dr. Ling) is corrupt, and that if he was found to be corrupt, he would retire from politics.
I challenge Liong Sik a week to answer two questions arising from his empty challenge:
Firstly, did he get inspiration for making this challenge from the examples of MIC President, Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu and the Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik, who seem quite safe and secure despite the lodging of ACA reports against them and ACA investigations?
Secondly, is Liong Sik confirming that under the present Barisan Nasional government, Ministers and top political leaders found to be corrupt and to have committed a crime could continue to hold office? Otherwise, his statement that he would resign from politics if he is found to be corrupt by the ACA makes no meaning? If Liong Sik is prepared to make such a confirmation, then he should name the Ministers, Deputy Ministers, the Mentri-Mentri Besar and Chief Ministers who had been found to be corrupt and committed a crime but who continued to be active in politics because of their political influence.
My third challenge to Liong Sik for him to accept within a week is to file defamation suit against me if he believes that I had charged him with being ‘corrupt’. Something is very wrong with Liong Sik if he dare not take legal action against me if he believes that I have accused him of being ‘corrupt’.
If Liong Sik believes that I had charged him with being ‘corrupt’, and he dare not take legal action to clear his own name, then he must be the only Barisan National Misister in the country who dare not take such action. This by himself should disqualify him from holding any high political office.
Liong Sik should know that his Bolton Finance scandal was first raised by his colleagues in the MCA in 1990 during the aborted Lee Kim Sai challenge for the MCA Presidency.
Before Liong Sik says anything more about his Bolton Finance scandal, I challenge him within a week to get the MCA Deputy President, Datuk Lee Kim Sai, former MCA Health Minister, Datuk Ng Cheng Kiat and former MCA Deputy Minister, Kok Wee Kiat to openly declare that they are fully satisfied with Liong Sik’s explanations about the Bolton Finance scandal.
My five challenges to Liong Sik to accept within a week are therefore:
1. To declare his family assets;
2. To openly accuse me of being ‘corrupt’ and not hide behind the words ‘politically corrupt’.
3. To explain whether he issued his challenge to me to lodge police report tht he is ‘corrupt’ because he finds inspiration from the examples of Samy Vellu and Rahim Taby Cik and that there are Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Mentri-Mentri Besar and Chief Ministers who had continued to hold political office although found to be corrupt and to have committed crimes;
4. To file defamation proceedings against me if he believes that I have charged him with being ‘corrupt’; and
5. To get Lee Kim Sai, Ng Cheng Kiat and Kok Wee Kiat to publicly declare that they are satisfied with Liong Sik’s explanations about his Bolton Finance scandal.