By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and Mp for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang on Monday, 30th August 1993:
DAP calls on Malaysian Parliament to declare 1994 as the Year Against Corruption
Malaysians celebrate the 36th National Day under the cloud of nation-wide questioning abou the efficiary, indenpendenca and integrity of the Anti-Corruption Agency because of its scandalous conclusion after its 17-month investigations into the RM150 million MAIKA Telekom shares hijacking that no criminal offences had been committed.
This questioning is part of the larger national soulseraching as to wether the country is serious about combating corruption, breach of trust, abuses of power and unethical practices especially in high political places.
Malaysia’s lack of political will becomes all the more glaring when Malaysia stands apart from the high-powered campaign all over Asia, whether in Thailand, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan or China to cleanse the political system of corruption and money politics.
In contrast, corruption, breach of power and unethical practices in high political places have become even more rampant than in the 1970s and 1980s, to the estent that a state goevrnemnt leader who had not been able to explain his unusual wealth completely disproportionate to his known sources of income can aim for higher political office without feeling any shame or liability!
The Barisan Nasional Cabinet has shown no corcern that Lorraine Osman is now a free man although the Malaysia taxpayers have been defraued of RM2.5 billion in the Bumiputra Malaysia Finance scandal.
The same government indifference was shown when the country lost RM16 billion in the Bank Negara foreign exchange speculation scandal last year.
One of the nine strategic challenges of Vision 2020 is a clean, moral and ethical cociety – but the country is heading in a completely opposite direction.
DAP calls on Parliament to declare 1994 as the Year Against Corruption in Malaysia to arrest this slide towards rampant corruption in Malaysia, which can cause the downfall of Malaysia and the shattering of Vision 2020.