By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 1st September 1994:
If Rahim does not want to resign as Malacca Chief Minister, the Malacca State Assembly should convened an emergency meeting to remove him by way of a no confidence motion
DAP welcomes the assurance given by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the government would act against Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik, to preserve the credibility of the Barisan Nasional Government if the allegation of Rahim’s affair with a 15-year-old schoolgirl were proven true and if there were “other cases involving unwarranted behaviour, low morality and misconduct that cannot be defended”.
However, the public and national interest demands that action must be taken immediately to end the ignominy which the Rahim Tamby Cik scandal is inflicting on the reputation and credibility of the nation.
If the daily Rahim Tamby Cik scandal only affects Rahim personally, the public and national interest is not involved. However, this is not the case, for the trials and travails of the daily Rahim Tamby Cik scandal has become the trails and travails of the reputation and credibility of the government and nation.
For this reason, Rahim should not delay any further and prove his love and patriotism for Malacca and Malaysia by immediately stepping down as Malacca Chief Minister.
If Rahim is not prepared to do so, then the Malacca State Assembly should convene an emergency sitting to remove Rahim as Malacca Chief Minister by way of a no-confidence mation.
This no confidence motion should be moved by Malacca UMNO itself and the three DAP Malacca Assemblymen will give full support.
By caling for the immediate resignation or removal of Rahim as Malacca Chief Minister, I am not passing judgment as to whether Rahim is guilty of the allegation made against him of having an affair with a 15-year-ole school girl, but to spare the Malaysian people and nation further ignominy, both nationally and internationally, over Rahim’s scandal.
In fact, in the past week, the Rahim scandal had pushed out all national events, like the China visit of the Deputy Prime Minster, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; the launching of the second national car, the Perodua Kancil by the Prime Minister; and the National Day celebrations – not to omit Barisan Nasional’s own celebrations – its 20th Anniversary gathering at Dataran Merdeka.
The only person who could be happy with the Rahim scandals is the MCA President as public attention had been completely distracted from the scandalous Subang airport radar station fire, the latest RM12 million airport gold bar robbery and Long Sik’s role and responsibility.