Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, when opening the Perak DAP State Convention held in Ipoh on Sunday, September 11, 1994 at 10 am.
DAP calls for the convening of an All-Party Commission to submit legislative and constitutional proposals in Parliament in October to ensure ‘fair, free and clean’ general elections.
DAP calls for the convening of an All-Party Commission to submit legislative and constitutional proposals to Parliament in October to ensure a ‘fair, free and clean’ general elections.
All political parties must be committed to democracy and justice and agree to electoral reforms. They should reach an Accord at this All-Party Commission on ‘Fair, Free and Clean General Elections’ which should incorporate a nine-point agenda:
* 1. An independent and impartial Election Commission whose job is not just the mechanical task of conducting general elections, but ensuring a meaningful electoral process which is ‘fair, free and clean’;
* 2. Reliability of the electoral register where there are no mass registration of phantom voters to save some Barisan Nasional ‘big-guns’ from electoral defeat;
* 3. Foster conditions for equal access to the media. All parties should be guaranteed equal conditions of access to the media, both printed and electronic, during commercial slots, special programmes and publicly-financed air-time.
The Election Commission should have the right and power to suggest to RTM and TV3 guidelines to implement general policies for balanced news coverage of each party’s campaign.
The Election Commission would provide to all parties with a schedule of available commercial and Official time-slots for radio and television, in order to guarantee that they are all able to purchase commercial air-time on an equal basis.
* 4. Avoidance of the illegal use of state funds and resources in support of a political party.
* 5. Root out money politics in general elections to ensure that the general elections do not degenerate into a contest of money instead of a compe¬tition of ideas; Mechanisms must be established to limit and trace election expenses of all political parties and candidates to keep them within the statutory limits.
* 6. Review existing measures and laws which restricts fundamental liberties of Malaysians and conscribe their political freedoms, like the ban on public rallies, Internal Security Act, Official Secrets Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act, Sedition Act, etc;
* 7. Creation of a Special Office for the Prosecution of Electoral Crimes and Offences, dealing with electoral offences including:
(i) violating the principle of secret ballot, as in the case of postal ballots in the country:
(ii) altering the electoral, register with phantom voters;
(iii) government officials who coerce their subordinates to vote in favour of a political party or candidate; and
(iv) illegally using government resources in support of a candidate or a party.
(8) The recognition of the role of NGOs to be observe and scrutinise the electoral process; and
(9) The passage of all necessary electoral reform laws to incorporate the above proposals as well as others to ensure a ‘fair, free and clean’ general elections in the next Parliamentary meeting.
DAP calls on the Barisan Nasional parties, in particular UMNO, to give a positive response to proposals for ‘fair, free and clean’ general, elections which have not only been made by opposition political parties and NGOs but also by the Election Commission itself.
The MCA Pasir Pinji Division Chinese Independent Secondary School donation drive scandal is the second MCA scandal after the Jempol MCA Division donation scandal.
The MCA Pasir Pinji Division Chinese Independent Secondary School donation drive scandal is the second MCA scandal after the Jempol MCA Division donation scandal.
Last week, the MCA Pasir Pinji Division collected donations from the public, allegedly to support Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.
After they had given their donations, they found that the coupon they get as receipt states that their donations were “Sumbangan Ahli MCA Kepada Tobung Pendidikan Huaren Untuk Membantu Sekolah-Sekolah Menengah Persendirian Cina – RM10.00”.
It is now very clear that when the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik announced that the MCA would raise RM6 million for the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools from its 600,000 MCA members with each donating RM10, he does not mean the money coming from the MCA members but from the Chinese community.
This is a case where the MCA is using the name of the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools to raise funds which will not be fully accounted for.
The bulk of the monies raised from the Chinese commu¬nity by the MCA by using the name of the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools would not go to the Chinese Independent Second¬ary Schools, but into the pockets of the MCA.
In fact, it is now clear that the monies, raised by MCA from the Chinese community by using the name of Chinese Independ¬ent Secondary Schools would be channelled for two purposes:
* Firstly, as donation to Chinese Independent Secondary Schools based on the number of MCA membership in the MCA Division – at RM10 per person; and
* Secondly, the balance of the donation raised from the Chinese community meant for support of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools would go into the accounts of the MCA to serve MCA party purposes.
This was what happened in the MCA Jempol Division donation scandal – where MCA Jempol Division only handed 25 per-cent of the donations it collected from the Chinese community in Bahau, Negri Sembilan for the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools while keeping 75 per cent of the donations for itself.
Pasir Pinji MCA Division donation drive is another example, and I believe this is taking place in all the MCA Divi¬sions in their donation drives for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools throughout the country.
This means that although the MCA has 600,000 MCA members and had promised to raise RM6 million from this number for the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools, the 600,000 MCA members are not required to give a single sen.
DAP calls on Liong Sik to pledge that MCA would turn over 100 per cent of its donation drives from the Chinese community by making use of the name of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools or it should discontinue the MCA donation drive altogether.
Instead, the MCA is raising funds not from the 600,000 MCA members but from the Chinese, community – and their target is not just to raise RM6 million but some RM30 million, with MCA pocketing the balance of some RM24 to RM25 million!
This is most dishonest and dishonourable. DAP calls on Liong Sik to give a pledge that the MCA would turn over 100 per cent of its donation drives from the Chinese community by making use of the name of the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools or the MCA should discontinue the MCA donation drive altogether.
If the MCA is honest and not trying to make money by using the name of Chinese Independent Secondary Schools, then it should submit the accounts of all MCA Division donation drive for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools to the Dong Jiao Zhong for verification and audit with an undertaking that every sen of collection would be handed over to the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.
For a start, Liong Sik should direct the MCA Jempol MCA Division to bring out from its accounts the 75 per cent of its collections from a ‘Dragon Lion Dance’ meant for Chinese Independent Secondary Schools which it had retained for its own use.
This money does not belong to Jempol MCA Division and must be handed over to the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools.