Liong Sik’s statement a desperate attempt to hide MCA failure to oppose land acquisition abuses and injustices and to ensure that the Barisan Nasional Government is ‘liberal’ enough to register Dong Zhao Zhong’s proposed New Era College

by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 11th January 1994:

Liong Sik’s statement a desperate attempt to hide MCA failure to oppose land acquisition abuses and injustices and to ensure that the Barisan Nasional Government is ‘liberal’ enough to register Dong Zhao Zhong’s proposed New Era College

The statement by the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, after the MCA Presidential Council meeting yesterday calling on the Chinese community to support the MCA and to reject the DAP is a desperate attempt to hide MCA failure to oppose land acquisition abuses and injustices and to ensure that the Barisan Nasional Government is ‘liberal’ enough to register Dong Zhao Zhong’s proposed New Era College.

It is clear that the statement that was issued in the ame of Liong Sik was meant to be issued under the name of MCA National Publicity Bureau – and this was why the statement was only available in Chinese and given to the Chinese newspapers.

However, the MCA national leadership has realised that the MCA National Publicity Bureau has lost all credibility, after I had responded to its statement and declared that DAP lawyers are on standby and ready to take legal action to sue the Kelantan State Government if the MCA national leadership could produce documentary proof to substantiate the MCA National Publicity Bureau allegation that the Kelantan State Government had acquired 1,000 acres of 500 Chinese smallholders at Tanah Putih, Gua Musang under the Land Acquisition Act without compensation.

I declared that the Kelantan State Government would have acted illegally and unconstitutionally if it had acquired 1,000 acres of 500 Chinese smallholders at Tanah Putih, Gua Musang under the Land Acquisition Act without compensation, and that if the MCA national leadership is not only afraid of UMNO, but also afraid of PAS and Semangat 46, the DAP will not hesitate to institute legal action against the Kelantan State Government provided the MCA leadership furnishes such documentary proof.

I had given the MCA national leadership 24 hours and later extended to 72 hours to furnish me with documentary proof that the Kelantan State Government had illegally and unconstitutionally acquired 1,000 acres of 500 Chinese smallholders at Tanah Putih, Gua Musang under the Land Acquisition Act without compensation, but both the MCA and the MCA National Publicity Bureau had not been able to produce such proof.

This was why a statement meant to be issued by the MCA National Publicity Bureau had finally to be issued under the name of the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik!

However, Liong Sik’s credibility is not higher than that of the MCA National Publicity Bureau – especially as Liong Sik has established the undisputed reputation as the most incompetent and irresponsible Cabinet Minister not only in the present Parliament but since Merdeka!

I find it sad that three days after the National Conference Against Land Acquisition Abuses and Injustices which adopted a resolution setting out Nine Principles for a new land acquisition policy, law and approach to strike a fairer balance between development needs and the property rights of Malaysians, the MCA leadership has not take a stand on the issue and no MCA leader had dared to say a single word!

Liong Sik and the MCA leadership have many things which they want to deflect from public attention, as for instance, their failure to ensure that the Barisan Nasional Government is ‘liberal’ enough to approve and register Dong Zhao Zhong’s proposed New Era College.

When Dong Zhao Zhong wrote to the MCA President for help to secure government approval and registration for New Era College, all that Liong Sik did was to get his secretary to inform the secretary of the MCA Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Fong Chan Onn, to ‘help all he could’.

Liong Sik did not even bother to personally direct Dr. Fong Chan Onn to ensure that the New Era College would get its approval and registration without any delay.

In fact, if Liong Sik is sincere, serious and responsible in wanting to help, he would have gone to see the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed himself on the approval and registration of the New Era College.