by Parliamentary Opposition Deader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, September 9, 1994:
Is Mahathir accusing DAP of spreading the allegation that the Prime Minister has a Chinese wife ‘complete with a photograph’?
I am shocked beyond words by the allegation of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, implying that the DAP had spread the allegation that he has a Chinese wife, ‘complete with a photograph’.
It is public knowledge than Mahathir had in the past repeatedly alleged that he had been accused of all sorts of things, including having a Chinese wife, but this is the first time he seems to imply that the allegation was being spread by the DAP.
I have only read about the allegation when Mahathir mentions it, and if there is such a ‘photograph’, I have never seen it.
If Mahathir has proof that the DAP is spreading such an allegation, he should produce such evidence and the DAP will tender to him publicly the most fulsome apology. But if he has no proof whatsoever that the DAP is behind such an allegation, elementary justice demands that he should clarify that he is not accusing the DAP of making such, an allegation.
I must also rebut Mahathir’s allegation that the DAP is exploiting the Rahim scandals and not interested in the welfare of the girl.
If the DAP is not concerned about, the welfare of the 15-year-old girl, the DAP would not have taken up the cause of the family members of the girl to demand that family members and in particular her maternal grandmother who had brought her up from three months old to 12 years after the girl’s mother passed away – should be allowed to meet the girl.
It was because of the DAP’s intervention that the girl’s 47-year-old father and her maternal grandmother, Pendek Ahmad, 57, were allowed to meet the girl yesterday for the first time since the controversy was publicised on August 26.
The DAP does not want to claim credit for what we have done, which we regard as part of our duty to serve the people but we are not prepared to be unjustly maligned for not caring for the welfare of the 15-year-old girl.
The 15-year-old girl is being detained by the Police for purposes of investigations. This is a situation which Malay¬sians find most, peculiar and unacceptable.
If anyone should be detained for purposes of police investigation, it should be Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik and not the 15-year-old girl, who is a victim in the case.
Newspaper reports that the father had yesterday morning given written consent for the police to keep the girl in safe custody until investigations were completed has raised many questions as to whether such a written consent is voluntary, whether the idea came from the police or the father, and whether there are other motives behind it
Be that as it may, the Police should be aware of national and international attention, on its investigations into the allegation of Rahim Tamby Cik having an affair with a 15-year-old girl and that the entire police reputation and even credibility is also at stake.
The Police should not make another colossal blunder as in the Vijandran pornographic videotape scandal, where the Police burnt and destroyed 11 videotapes and 2,000 photographs, which were the material evidence in the scandal.
Mahathir’s allegation that the DAP wants to exploit the Rahim scandals cannot go unanswered.
The Rahim scandals comprise triple dimensions – the allegation of his having an affair with the 15-year-old school¬girl, the allegations of his corruption arising from his extraordinary and unusual wealth and his high-handed treatment of the Pantai Kundor and Tanah Merah Malay kampong folks over the acquisition of their ancestral Malay Customary Land.
To put the record straight, it was not the DAP which spread, and publicised the allegation of Rahim having an affair with a 15-year-old girl, but top UMNO leaders themselves.
However, all these triple scandals’ concern the public interest and it is not only the right but the duty of political parties which have the interest of the people and country at heart to take a clear stand on them.
For over two weeks, the reputation and honour of the Malaysian people and country suffered unprecedented damage because the DAP advice that Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik should immediately step down as Malacca Chief Minister was not heeded.
Yesterday, Mahathir announced that Rahim has taken leave as Malacca Chief Minister pending police investigations into the allegation of his having an affair with a 15-year-old girl.
However, a Malacca senior state government official said yesterday that Rahim had gone on a 10-day leave.
Is Malaysia going to be haunted by the Rahim scandals again 10 days later when Rahim returns from his ‘temporary leave’?