by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 11th February 1994:
Sabahans and Malaysians also find it odd that the Barisan Nasional Federal Government leaders are making corruption an issue in the Sabah state general elections
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, said yesterday that it was ‘odd’ that the PBS election manifesto contained a pledge to eradicate corruption.
Dr. Mahathir said: “This is the odd thing about PBS … while its leader has been found guilty of corruption, he still wants to contest, to be elected representative and then talk about eradicating corruption.”
Dr. Mahathir said that before PBS could get rid of corruption, it must first get rid of its leader.
I believe Sabahans and Malaysians also find it ‘odd’ that the Barisan Nasional Federal Government leaders are making corruption an issue in the Sabah state general elections, when the Barisan Nasional Federal Government has failed to get rid of corrupt leaders at Federal and State Government level under Barisan Nasional control.
Is Anwar prepared to announce a national war against corruption, including the removal of Federal Ministers, State Chief Ministers and Mentri-Mentri Besar who do not have a reputation for integrity and non-corruptibility?
Whenever DAP MPs and State Assembloymen raised the issue of corruption in Parliament and the State Assemblies, the Barisan Nasional had failed to give a responsible answer.
The many scandals raised in Parliament and the various State Assemblies, including the recent budget meeting of the Penang State Assembly in December, still await serious response from the Barisan Nasional national and state leaders.
This is why when Barisan Nasional Federal Government made corruption as one of the issues in the Sabah state general elections, the people of Sabah and Malaysia cannot avoid being very skeptical.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has become Deputy Prime Minister for more than two months, and the country is still waiting for his announcement that the Federal Government is launching an all-out war against corruption and that all corrupt leaders, whether Federal Minister, Chief Minister or Mentri Besar would be sacked from office, arrested and charged in court.
Is Anwar Ibrahim prepared to announce a national war against corruption at Federal and State Government levels, in¬cluding the removal of Federal Ministers, State Chief Ministers and Mentri-Mentri Besar who do not have a reputation for integri¬ty and incorruptibility, during the Sabah state general elections campaign?
Anwar should announce an annual government grant of RM1 million for each of the 60-odd Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Peninsular Malay¬sia to show that the promise of RM30 million grant to Sabah Chinese Independent Secondary Schools is not an election gimmick
Deputy Finance Minister and Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has promised a RM30 million grant to the Sabah Independent Chinese Secondary schools during the Sabah state general elections campaign.
Anwar should announce an annual government grant of RM1 million for each of the 60-odd Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Peninsular Malaysia to show that the promise of RM30 million grant to Sabah Chinese Independent Secondary Schools is not an election gimmick.
In fact, Anwar’s RM30 million promise to Sabah Chinese Independent Secondary Schools is a big ‘slap in the face’ for the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, the four MCA Ministers and the entire MCA leadership. The same applies to the Gerakan President, Datuk Dr. Lim Keng Yaik and the Gerakan leadership.
If Federal Government could promise RM30 million for the Sabah Chinese Independent Secondary Schools, why hadn’t the Federal Government donated RM30 million to Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Peninsular Malaysia for over 30 years?
This must be because of the utter irrelevance and marginalisation of MCA and Gerakan Ministers in Government and Cabinet.
DAP Assemblymen in Sabah State Assembly can play a role that cannot be played by PBS or Barisan Nasional
It is clear that DAP Assemblymen in Sabah State Assembly can play a role that cannot be played by PBS or Barisan.
The nine-year rule of PBS State Government and its Chief Minister, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan, has shown that the PBS is far from a perfect state government, and that it has many weaknesses and even scandals.
However, the people of Sabah want to have a State Government of their choice, and not one which is imposed from Kuala Lumpur using strong-armed tactics and misuse of Federal Government machinery and funds.
DAP Assemblymen would be different from PBS and Barisan Nasional Assemblymen – for PBS elected representatives would claim that the PBS is perfect and 100 per cent right, while the Barisan Nasional elected representatives would claim that the PBS is all evil and 100 per cent wrong.
DAP Assemblymen, would be able to be objective to play a dual role, namely, to uphold Sabah state interests in matters affecting the state relationship with the Federal Government; and in state matters affecting the people of Sabah, uphold the rights of the people by monitoring and exposing abuses of power and scandals at the state government level.