Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at the DAP Tanjong 3 Committee meeting held at Penang DAP premises on Wednesday, February 3, 1994 at 8.30 p.m.
DAP challenge to Keng Yaik, Tsu Koon and Gim Hwa to Public Debate on the Hotel Metropole, Taman Midlands, Relau Indoor Stadium and other MPPP scandals remains open.
Gerakan President, Datuk Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, Penang Chief Minister, Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and the MPPP President, Datuk Tan Gim Hwa, dared not turn up at the Penang Chinese Town Hall last night to accept the DAP challenge to a Public Debate on the Hotel Metropole, Taman Midlands, Relau Indoor Stadium and other MPPP scandals.
The failure of these three Gerakan leaders to turn up for the Public Debate with the DAP tantamount to a public admission that it is the Gerakan who had been telling lies and a complete collapse of the Gerakan propaganda campaign putting up posters about ‘DAP lies’.
It also means that the Gerakan leaders themselves do not believe in the 10,000 inauspicious black-and-white posters on ‘DAP lies’ which the Gerakan Publicity Bureau had put up in Penang, and no one need waste any time on these Gerakan posters which have been repudiated by the Gerakan leaders themselves.
Although Keng Yaik, Tsu Koon and Gim Hwa had not dared to turn up for the Public Debate last night, the DAP challenge to them to a Public Debate on the Hotel Metropole, Taman Midlands, Relau Indoor Stadium and other MPPP scandals remain open – and anytime they feel brave and confident enough to accept the DAP challenge, the DAP is prepared to have a Public Debate with them, any time, any place!
The Penang DAP will also consider organising another Political Ceramah in a month’s time, and to extend another invitation to Keng Yaik, Gim Hwa and Tsu Koon to a Public Debate with the DAP.
DAP calls for the restoration of an elected MPPP.
The Hotel Metropole, Taman Midlands, Relau Indoor Stadium and other MPPP scandals is the direct result of the system of nominated, undemocratic and unrepresentative MPPP. At present, for instance, Tan Gim Hwa is behaving as if he is the ‘uncrowned king’ on the Penang Island, as he not answerable or responsible to Tsu Koon, who is junior to him in Gerakan.
He also refuses to be accountable to the Penang Island ratepayers, ignoring demands for answers to the many big questions in the various MPPP scandals, as his appointment does not depend on the ratepayers.
So long as the Gerakan President declares that he is satisfied with the explanations of Gim Hwa, Tsu Koon could not exercise any control over the MPPP President.
The present system of MPPP, where its President is not answerable to the Chief Minister or to the ratepayers is completely intolerable, and a political scandal of the first magnitude.
DAP calls for the restoration of an elected MPPP where Hotel Metropole, Taman Midlands, Relau Indoor Stadium and other MPPP scandals cannot take place, because in an elective system, the MPPP President and the MPPP Councillors will be directly responsible to the ratepayers in having to seek their mandate during Municipal Council elections.