by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Monday, February 7, 1994:
Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim invited to address the meeting of MPs of all political parties in Parliament tomorrow on the Australian mass media allegations of Malaysian MPs having been bribed by Australian spies until four years ago
I have this morning taxed invitations to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed and the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, inviting them to address the meeting of MPs of all political parties in Parliament tomorrow OR the Australian mass media allegations of Malaysian MPs having been bribed by Australian spies until four years ago.
I have also faxed an invitation to the Speaker of Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Zahir Ismail, to attend and speak at the meeting of MPs of all political parties tomorrow, which will be held at the Committee Room One, Parliament House at 10 a.m.
The Australian mass media allegations that Malaysian MPs had been bribed by Australian spies until four years ago have seriously tarnished the image, credibility and integrity of the Malaysian Parliament and constituted an unwarranted interference in Malaysia’s domestic affairs by Australia.
When the honour of Parliament and the integrity of Malaysia is at stake, MPs from all political parties must put aside their political differences and stand as one
All Malaysian Members of Parliament, irrespective of political party, must act as one against such Australian affront-to the honour of Malaysian Parliament and the integrity of Malaysia.
This is why DAP is prepared not only to join forces with other Opposition MPs, like from Seraangat 46, PAS and PBS, but also from the Barisan Nasional component parties, like UMNO, MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP, and together with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and all Cabinet Ministers on a issue which all patriotic Malaysians must regard as a serious national issue which transcends political party differences.
When the honour of Parliament, and the integrity of Malaysia is at stake, MPs from all political parties must put aside their political differences and stand as one.
All Cabinet Ministers have also been invited by fax to attend the meeting of all MPs in Parliament tomorrow. I hope that Cabinet Ministers who had been particularly vocal on this issue, like the Information Minister, Datuk Mohamed Rahmat, the Law Minister, Datuk Syed Hamid Albar and the Primary Industries Minister, Datuk “Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, would make a special “point to attend this meeting of all MPs to defend, the honour of Parliament and the integrity of Malaysia.
The Speaker, Tan Sri Zahir Ismail, has also been invited to attend and speak at the meeting of MPs tomorrow.
Malaysian MPs must not be seen to be slow in defending the honour of Parliament and integrity of Malaysia.
In view of the shortness of time, I have also faxed to the leaders of the respective Earisan Nasional parties asking them to inform their MPs of tomorrow’s meeting – as all MPs should rise above party differences on this issue.
In actual fact, the MPs in Parliament should have acted earlier, as the first Australian report about the allegation that Malaysian MPs had been bribed by Australian spies first came out on January 16 – which was a full 25 days ago.
Malaysian MPs must not be seen by the country and the world as slow to defend the honour of Malaysian Parliament and the integrity of Malaysia when they are besmirched by Australian reports and allegations of the bribery of Malaysian MPs by Australian spies.
The issue at the meeting of MPs in Parliament House” tomorrow is how the honour of Parliament and the integrity of Malaysia is to be defended and upheld in the face of the Australian allegations.
MPs may want to -discuss whether Malaysia should review its diplomatic relations with Australia unless the Australian government give full details about the bribery of Malaysian MPs by Australian spies.
I am personally prepared to pay for the travel expenses of the ASIS agent to appear before a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry
It is most unfortunate that at. this stage, there are still certain government politicians who want to ‘play polities’ rather than to treat the allegation as a serious national issue which, should transcend party politics.
One such example is the UMNO Youth Leader, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik, who said yesterday that the UMNO Youth movement had offerred to pay travel expenses for an Australian secret service agent to come to Malaysia to help investigations into the bribery scandal involving Opposition politicians.
Is Rahim saying that UMNO Youth would only pay the travel expenses if the ASIS agent implicates Opposition politicians and not government politicians?
Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik is behind time – for the issue is no more the bribery of Opposition politicians, but the bribery of government politicians and UMNO leaders as pinpointed by Canberra Times report of Feb 3.
I am personally prepared to pay for the travel expenses of the ASIS agent to appear before an All-Party Parliamentary Committee to investigate into the bribery of Malaysian MPs by Australian spies regardless of whether the ASIS agent implicates government or opposition MPs.