Press Conference Statement (2) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kt Siang, at Penang DAP Hqrs on Tuesday, 9th August 1994 at 11.30 am
Let Liong Sik account to the Chinese community about6 the three items of MCA donation drives making use of the name of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools and not try to raise ‘red herrings’ like the DAP Save Bukit account
MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik in Penang yesterday again called on DAP to produce all it accounts, including the DAP Save Bukit China Account within a week or has no right to question the MCA about its donation drives making use of the name of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.
Everybody knows why Liong Sik has suddenly repeated an old charge which he had himself abandoned – because he could not answer the DAP’s questions about the MCA’s nation-wide donation drive to collect donations for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.
It is Liong Sik himself who has forfeited all right to question the DAP about the DAP Save Bukit China Fund or other accounts.
This is because in July last year, Liong Sik made the same charge and challenged the DAP to produce the Save Bukit China account within a week.
I immediately accepted his challenge and invited Liong Sik to Bukit China in Malacca on July 10, 1993 where I would produce the DAP Save Bukit China One-Person One-Dollar account.
The whole country knows that is was Liong Sik who dared not trun up for the Bukit China appointment in Malacca on July 10.
Liong Sik had many reasons why he dared not keep the Bukit China appointment and the two primary reasons were:
* It is MCA, and not DAP, which has financial scandals – including Liong Sik’s Bolton finance scandal;
* While the DAP was campaigning throughout the country in 1984 to save Bukit China from demolition, Liong Sik and other MCA leader were giving full support for the Malacca State Government Plan to destroy Bukit China!
What right has Liong Sik to again raise the issue of DAP Save Bukit China Fund? Does Liong Sik want me to re-invite him to Bukit China in Malacca within a week for me to produce again the DAP Save Bukit China One-Person One-Dollar account?
The DAP has nothing to hide and had announced particulars of the DAP Save Bukit China One-Person One-Dollar account as far back as 15th February 1985, as the DAP does not have political leaders like the former MCA President Tan Koon Swan, former MCA Youth leader Kee Yong Wee and former MCA Deputy Minister, Wong Choon Wing who were arrested, charge, convicted and jailed for criminal breach of trust and cheating of public money.
The reason why Liong Sik has resurrected the DAP Save Bukit China account is obvious – an ‘act of desperation’ as he could not answer the DAP’s questioning the last few days about the MCA nation-wide drive to collect donations for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.
MCA Ministers should get the Cabinet to allocate regular and annual funding for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools and not only when general elections is around the corner
DAP has no objections to MCA collecting donations for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools although the MCA’s main responsibility with four Cabinet Ministers should be to get the Federal Government to give regular and annual allocations to Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.
The MCA Ministers should get the Cabinet to recognize the 60 Chinese Independent Secondary Schools as ‘future assets of the country’ at all times, and not only when general elections is around the corner purely to get Chinese votes.
However, the people including the DAP has the tight and responsibility to ensure that every sen of donation that the MCA is collecting for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in its current nation-wide drive is handed over to the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools, and that there is no repetition of the hijacking of the funds meant for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools as happened in the case of the MAKIA Telekom shares hijacking scandal.
Two days ago, Liong Sik said in Penang that he was confident that the MCA would be able to raise more than RM6 million for the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in its nation-wide donation drive.
This was what I had been questioning in the past few ngiths at the DAP anniversary dinners at Sekinchan, Cheras 11 m.s., Malacca and Rasah.
Why is Liong Sik talking about RM6 million when it should be RM30 million from the MCA donation drive making use of the name of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools
It is most shocking that Liong Sik is talking about RM6 million target when it should be RM30 million target.
Liong Sik must account to the Chinese community for three items of donations which the MCA is collecting from the Chinese community making use of the name of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools, namely:
* firstly, the RM3,188,888.88 which the Liong Sik announced at the MCA nation-wide donation launching-off ceremony in Seremban on May 27 as having been collected, which must now be in the Huaren Fund account if not in MCA account;
* Secondly, the RM6 million from the 600,000 MCA members on the basis of RM10 per member, which Liong Sik would be collected by the end of the year; and
* Thirdly, the collection from the big donors in the Chinese community, making use of the tax-exempt status of Huaren Fund account, in the nine months from May to January next year before all the monies from the account are handed over to the 60 Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.
The third item should be in the region of RM15 to RM20 million as the MCA leadership has nine months from May to January next year to make use of the name of the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools to approach the ‘big donors’
The ‘tax-exempt’ status for Huaren Fund account is meant for the big donors in Item 1 and 3, and has nothing to do with the RM6 million to be collected from the 600,000 MCA members – as what tax exemption is there for the MCA members to claim from the Income Tax Department on the basis of RM10 donations?
Can Liong Sik explain why he is talking about RM6 million when it should be RM30 million with regard to the donations which the MCA is collecting from the Chinese community making use of the name of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools?
Another reason why Liong Sik is hitting out wildly – the expose that he is the Cabinet Minister with the most disgraceful parliamentary record
There is another reason why Liong Sik is hitting out wildly by resurrecting the DAP Save Bukit China account.
This is my expose in Malacca on Saturday night that Liong Sik is the Cabinet Minister with the most disgraceful parliamentary record.
The Prime Minster, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, admitted in last month’s parliamentary meeting that Liong Sik is the Cabinet Minister who had played the most truant from his parliamentary duties, as since the 1990 general elections, Liong Sik had only attended 24 parliamentary sittings out of 272 days.
This means he hardly turns up for six days in Parliament for one year.
And out of these 24 days he attended parliament, 80 per cent would be because they are formal functions like the official opening of parliament by the yang di Pertuan Agong (4 days), the annual Budget speech (4 days), Constitution Amendments (6 days) and the Prime Minister moving important motions like the Second Perspective Plan, the Sixth Malaysia Plan and the Six Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review.
Liong Sik has never answered a single question in Parliament during question time since he became Cabniet Minister in Parliament, unlike Mahthir, Anwar Ibrahim, or even Samy Vellu and Lim Keng Yaik who often turn up in parliament to answer questions about portfolios under their charge during the question hour.
I understand why Liong Sik is very angry with the DAP and me in particular for exposing his atrocious parliamentary record and performance – but he should be angry with himself and not with me!