by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Monday, September 5, 1994:
MCA, Gerakan and MIC leaders should jointly ask for an emergency meeting of Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting to bring an immediate end to the national and international ignominy faced by the nation and people because of the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals.
Gerakan is the only Barisan Nasional political component which has declared publicly that it regards Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik’s scandals as an UMNO matter and should be left to UMNO to resolve.
Yesterday, UMNO Secretary-General and Minister for Information, Datuk Mohamad Rahmat, said in Johore Bahru that UMNO considered the issue as Rahim’s “personal matter”.
Both positions are wrong and completely untenable. Malaysia’s international reputation, honour and credibility had never suffered so much intense damage in the nation’s history since Merdeka as in the past few weeks because of two reasons:
* Firstly, the greatest ‘public relations’ disaster advertising Malaysia as an unreliable and unsafe investment centre and tourist destination with five fires in two years and two gold-bar robberies in four months at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport; and
* Secondly, the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals.
Whether Rahim Tamby Cik had been incapacitated as UMNO Youth Leader is a matter for UMNO Youth and UMNO to handle. However, a crippled Malacca Chief Minister is a public and national issue, for it is obvious that Rabirn Tamby Cik had become paralysed politically, and he cannot function any more as Malacca Chief Minister. This is why Rahim Tamby Cik has stayed away from all official functions of late.
Is it fair that the reputation, honour and credibility of Malaysia should be tarnished day after day by the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals?
The Barisan Nasional leaders should realise that the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals are not merely the scandals of one person, but have become the scandals of the nation because of his position as Malacca Chief Minister.
They should ask whether it is fair that the reputation, honour and credibility of Malaysia should be tarnished day after day by the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals.
How long more are the Barisan Nasional leaders prepared to allow the reputation, honour and credibility of Malaysia to be tarnished day after day, before firm and effective action is taken to end the whole sorry episode?
Parliament is scheduled to meet on October 17. If Rahim Tamby Cik does not step down or removed as Malacca Chief Minister by then, the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals will be the paramount issue in Parliament oversh adowing even the 1995 Budget to be presented by the Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the end of October.
For the sake of the nation’s reputation, honour and credibility, there should be a quick and immediate end to the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals. For this reason, MCA, Gerakan and MIC leaders should jointly ask for an emergency meeting of the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council to bring to an immediate end the national and international ignominy faced by the Malaysian people and nation because of the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals.
Malaysians must be surprised by the statement, by the UMNO Secretary-General, Datuk Mohamad Rahmat yesterday that “UMNO has not ruled out the possibility of a political conspiracy to topple Malacca Chief Minister who is being investigated over allegations of an affair with a 15-year-old girl”.
Is Mohamed Rahmat suggesting that there is a possibility that top UMNO leaders, ‘higher’ than Mohamed Rahmat, are ivnolved in a ‘political conspiracy’ to topple Rahim Tamby Cik?
Is Mohamed Rahmat’s next allegation that the DAP might be involved in such a ‘political conspiracy’ involving top UMNO leaders to topple Rahim Tamby Cik as Malacca Chief Minister?