Speech (Part 2) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, at the opening of the Perak DAP State Convention in Ipoh on Sunday, September 11, 1994 at 10 am.
Parliamentary notice has been sent out summoning the budget meeting of Parliament from October 17 to December 20 – although this does not completely rule out general elections this year.
Parliamentary notice has been sent out summoning the budget meeting of Parliament from October 17 to December 20.
Although this is an additional indicator that general elections is likely to be next year, it does not by itself completely rule out the possibility of general elections being held this year.
October general elections – which had been a favourite date of polls-watchers is now most unlikely, and November is now the favourite month of those who believe that general elections would be held this year.
The top MCA leadership led by the MCA Secretary-General Datuk Dr. Ting Chew Peh yesterday convened a meeting of ‘information officers’ throughout the country to ask them to get ready for general elections in November.
This is of course another ‘electoral abuse’ of MCA and Barisan Nasional for ‘information officers’ are government, servants paid by the taxpayers’ who should not take any political directives from the MCA, but should serve the Information Department to spread government information and not MCA party propaganda.
The MCA leadership had of course been anticipating that general election would be held as far back as last year – and the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, recently announced that the MCA had finalised 99 per cent, of its candidates.
While not ruling out the possibility of general elections being held in November, I tend to believe that general elections would be held early next year.
However, DAP must not allow itself to be caught by surprise if general elections are held at the end of this year, and general elections preparations must be intensified at all levels.
The DAP will launch a new round of general elections preparations offensives throughout the country beginning next month.
Attorney-General’s directive to ACA to re-investigate into corrupti on allegations again Rahim Tamby Cik most disappointing.
The directive by the Attorney-General, Datuk Mohtar Abdullah to the Anti-Corruption Agency to investigate further into corruption allegations against the Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik, is most disappointing.
Datuk Mohtar Abdullah said yesterday he had made the order after reviewing the reports which the ACA submitted to him.
Is Mohtar Abdullah suggesting that the ACA had done a sloppy and unprofessional job in its investigations, into the corruption allegations against Rahim Tarnby Cik, arising from the ten police reports which DAPSY National Chairman and DAP MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Guan Eng, had lodged against Rahim Tamby Cik?
Mohtar Abdullah should realise that his directive would be interpreted in some quarters as ‘foot-dragging’, when the ACA had spent so long a time in its investigations arid had submitted its investigation papers to the Attorney-General.
Surely, if the ACA has found that there is no basis to the corruption allegations against Rahim Tamby Cik, the ACA would have simply closed the files on Rahim Tamby Cik and not submitted the investigation papers to the Attorney-General.
The very act of the ACA submitting investigation papers on the corruption allegations against Rahim Tamby Cik is prima facie inference that the ACA believes that there is a case for prosecution of Rahim Tamby Cik for corruption. However, under the law, before any prosecution for corruption could be initiated, the consent of the Attorney-General must be sought.
If the ACA is really independent, then it should not only have the powers to investigate and prosecute those holding high political and government offices for corruption, the ACA should have full powers to decide on whether to initiate corruption charges against anyone, without having to refer to the Attorney-General for his consent.
The ACA should have a prosecution department itself, which should decide on all matters affecting prosecution on corruption.
However, one probably must thank Mohtar for directing the ACA to investigate further into the corruption allegations against Rahim Tamby Cik, and not to ask the police to investigate Lim Guan Eng for ‘criminal defamation’ for lodging ten corruption reports against Rahim Tamby Cik – as in the case of Wee Choo Keong and the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, Tun Hamid!
Who pose a threat to life and peace – al-Arqam or some UMNO quarters as in the case of the 15-year-old girl.
Mohtar also said yesterday that the Police had their own reasons for taking die 15-year-old girl alleged to have an affair with Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik into ‘custody’ and that even the Americans have their ‘witness protection programme’.
Mohtar has missed the point altogether. The issue is if the 15-year-old girl is in danger of her life, to the extent that she has to be given protection and her family members are denied free access, the Police should have some idea as to who is likely to threaten her life, and what is the Police doing to take such a person into police custody?
So long as the 15-year-old girl – who is a victim in the affair – continues to be under ‘police custody’ and Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik goes ‘scotfree’ and can holiday abroad, this will be a symbol of something very wrong about the system of justice as well as the system of law and order in Malaysia!
In the past few weeks, the country had been led to believe that al-Arqam posed a great threat to law and order, in Malaysia – to the extent that, the Kuala Lumpur stock market had even reacted adversely several times to news about arrest of al-Arqam leader, Asaari Muhamad and the crackdown on al-Arqam communes.
However, events seem to show that those who threaten life and peace come not from al-Arqam, but from UMNO itself – as in the case of the 15-year-old girl whom the Police had to place under ‘custody’.
Surely, the Police owes the people and in particular the close family members of the 15-year-old girl a full and satisfactory explanation for their actions!