by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, September 15, 1994:
Air travelers very disappointed yesterday that Liong Sik had failed to keep his promise on Sunday, that “Flight operations at the Subang airport are expected to be back to normal by Wednesday”.
Air travellers who have to use the Subang Airport yesterday were very disappointed and even angry that the Transport Minister, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik had failed to keep his promise last Sunday that “Flight operations at the Subang airport are expected to be back to normal by Wednesday”.
When I was at the Subang airport yesterday evening, the question many passengers stranded at the Subang Airport asked me was how Liong Sik could publicly make such an undertaking that the Subang airport would be back to normal by yesterday, when he could not fulfill such an undertaking.
MAS internal flights yesterday were delayed for as long as two hours, causing untold inconvenience and hardships to the air-travellers.
In today’s press, Liong Sik has moved his undertaking by four days when he said that the Kuala Lumpur International Airport “should be back to normal by Sunday”.
I must warn Liong Sik that he better ‘drop’ everything for the next three days, park himself at the Subang international airport to ensure that it is in fact restored to its normal situation, or Liong Sik’s credibility – already the lowest of all Cabinet Ministers – will plunge to new depths.
Yesterday, there was another fire at the Subang International Airport – this time at a ‘power sub-station between Terminals One and Two.
This is the fourth fire at the Subang International Airport in a month, after the major fire on August 13, which knocked out the terminal approach radar, forcing air traffic controllers to resort to manual control; the fire at the Terminal One Kentucky Fried Chicken toilet and the fire at the Terminal One money-changer’s counter.
Liong Sik has become a ‘huge embarrassment’ not only to the Barisan Nasional Government and Cabinet, but also to the whole country.
Will MCA President drop MCA ‘black sheep’ as candidates in the next general elections if he himself has become the biggest ‘black sheep’ Minister in MCA and Barisan Nasional.
When will Liong Sik have the sense of moral accountability and responsibility, and the political decency to step down as Transport Minister before more disasters and accidents at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport do greater damage to Malay¬sia’s reputation as an investment centre and tourist destination?
In fact, this has become a test of Liong Sik’s patriotism and love for Malaysia. If Liong Sik really love the country, he should spare the country from further embarrassments at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and immediately step down as Transport Minister.
Liong Sik is reported in today’s press as supporting the statement by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed that the Barisan Nasional would drop those who made unforgivable mistakes as there should be no black sheep.
Will the MCA President drop ‘black sheep’ as candidates in the next general elections when he himself has become the biggest ‘black sheep’ Minister in MCA and Barisan Nasional, both for his worst parliamentary and Ministeral performances like having four fires at the airport in one month (or six fires in two years), two gold-bar robberies at the airport cargo complex in four months and three ‘near-miss collisions’ between two aircrafts at the airport runway in one month.