by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General, and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, September 13,1994:
Malacca State Government cannot continue to be ‘headless’ and an Acting Chief Minister must be appointed immediately.
The Malacca State Government cannot continue to be ‘headless’ and an Acting Chief Minister must be appointed immediately to be responsible for the Malacca State Government and administration.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed had said that so long as Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik does not go on leave for over 28 days, there is no need for the appointment of Acting Chief Minister.
Mahathir is undoubtedly referring to his own example. After the fall-out between Mahathir and his first Deputy-Prime Minister, Datuk Musa Hitam, Mahathir had never allowed anyone to be Acting- Prime Minister since 1986. This was why Ghafar Baba was never Acting Prime Minister – and neither Anwar Ibrahim.
This was explained on the ground that Mahathir was never on leave overseas at any one time for over 28 days.
However, the Mahathir example is not applicable in the case of the ‘headless’ situation created by Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik going on leave following the Rahim Tmnby Cik scandals, including the allegation of his having an affair with a 15-year-old girl.
In the case of the office of Prime Minister, although Mahathir may be overseas, he continues to keep full command of the government by keeping in touch with developments in the country.
This is not the case with Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik. Rahim Tamby Cik has gone on a leave which he could not return, or it will precipitate a political and moral crisis of the first magnitude, involving the credibility of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister themselves.
Rahim Tamby Cik has therefore lost all government, political and moral command of the Malacca State Government and it is utterly inconceivable that he could continue to keep full command of the State Government by ‘remote control’ from overseas.
The Federal Government is not ‘headless’ when Mahathir goes overseas on leave for less than 28 days.
But the Malacca State Government had been ‘headless’ since September 8 when Rahim Tamby Cik was forced to go on ‘leave’, which nothing more than an euphemism for the first step of his political retirement.
For this reason, for the good of the Malacca State Government and people, an Acting Chief Minister must be appointed immediately to provide leadership so that the Malacca State Government will not continue to be ‘headless’.
There are many pressing problems in Malacca awaiting government decision like the Pantai Kundor and Tanah Merah land acquisition case, and they can only be handled if there is a new ‘head’ in the Malacca State Government.
I therefore call on Dr. Mahathir to appoint an Acting Chief Minister for Malacca immediately without any more delay.