DAP deplores Kota Baru Municipal Council action which tried to prevent the Chinese community from celebrating the Chinese New Year at the Kelantan Chinese Chamber of Commerce

by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tan Jung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Saturday, February 12, 1994:

DAP deplores Kota Baru Municipal Council action which tried to prevent the Chinese community from celebrating the Chinese New Year at the Kelantan Chinese Chamber of Commerce

DAP deplores the Kota Baru Municipal Council action which tried to prevent the Chinese community from celebrating the Chinese New Year at the Kelantan Chinese Chamber of Commerce on the Chinese New Year Eve.

This action shows the utter insensitivity of the Kota Baru Municipal Council to the multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural characteristics of the Malaysian nation.

Instead of promoting understanding and respect for the diverse customs and festivals in the country, the Kota Bahru Municipal Council action has put the ‘clock back’ in this impor¬tant area of nation-building.

The PAS government leaders in Kelantan must take responsibility for the high-handed and insensitive Kota Bahru Municipal Council action and should investigate and take appro¬priate measures against, the officers responsible, as well as take all other necessary actions like amending the State Entertainment Enactment to ensure that such an incident would not occur again.

In this connection, I note that the Penang Chisf Minister, Dr. Ron Tsu Koon, has challenged me to declare the DAP stand.

Unlike Gerakan, the DAP stand is clear, consistent and unambiguous as far as issues of principle are concerned. The DAP maintains that all governments, whether Federal or State, must respect the multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-religious rights and sensitivities of all Malaysians.

DAP Deputy Chairman, Sdr. Karpal Singh, had in fact spoken on behalf of the DAP when he criticised the Kota Bahru Municipal Council action yesterday.

Instead of challenging the DAP to state its stand, Tsu Koon should pay more attention to his duties and responsibilities as Chief Minister of Penang.

Tsu Koon may be tempted to criticise the Kcta Baru Municipal Council because he cannot exercise power over the MPPP.

As Chief Minister, Tsu Koon has not been ableto impose control on the MPPP, as is evident, from the strings of MPPP scandals like the Hotel Metropole demolition scandal, Taman Midlands scandal and Relau Indoor Stadium scandal.

Although Tsu Koon has gone to Sabah to campaign against PBS and Datuk Joseph Pair in Kitirigan, Tsu Koon has not been able to do what the PBS state government has done state government allocation to the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools!

I challenge Tsu Koon to call an emergency meeting of the Penang State Assembly to debate not only the MPPP scandals, but also to emulate the PBS Sabah Government to approve State Government grants to Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.