Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang in Penang on Tuesday, October 4, 1994 at 11 a.m.
Is it true that Rahim Tamby Cik will be returning from ‘leave’ and resume his office as Malacca Chief Minister?
The Police have been reported in today’s press I saying that they expect to record a statement soon from Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik on allegations that he had an affair with a 15–year-old schoolgirl.
This is a most strange manner of police investigations, as Rahim Tamby Cik is not only on leave from the government and political posts, he also seems to be on ‘leave’ from police investigations.
It is most shocking and unbelievable that the Police had not interrogated Rahim Tamby Cik after more than a month of investigations and that Rahim is allowed to go on an extended holiday overseas!
Malaysians are not only perplexed but are beginning to be outraged by the police mishandling of the investigation.
In the police investigation into such an allegation, the two key personalities would be Rahim and the 15-year-old girl, and they should be the first two to be interviewed by the Police. Why didn’t the Police do this?
Why has the police held the 15-year-old schoolgirl ill custody depriving her of lien freedom of movement since August 30, while the Police had not even interviewed Rahim Tamby Cik – and even allowed him to go overseas on holiday ‘leave’?
Last week, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Samsuri Arsbad said in Penang that the police would interview Rahim soon, and that Vie police were now recording state meats from several witnesses including expert witnesses.
Whatever ‘expert witnesses’ ‘the police want should come after the police had interviewed the two key personalities in the allegation first!
Police sources said that the present case involve intricate medical examinations, which may involve the use of some of the most sophisticated scientific methods of evidence gathering.
The sources say that only after completing the girl’s side of the investigations, including the all-important medical corroboration, will police begin questioning Rahim as “given the gravity of the allegation and the personality involved, investigators wiil have to make sure their conclusions are water¬tight”.
This is most shocking. Although I agree that in ordinary cases, the police must be very careful in dealing with grave allegations involving important personalities like the Malacca Chief Minister, the Rahim Tamby Cik case is completely different.
This is because the Prime Minister, Datuk sSeri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed had himself on August 24 ordered a full investigation into the allegation of Rahim Tamby Cik’s affair with a 15-year-old girl. Furthermore, Rahim has himself publicly agreed to be investigated on the allegation.
In the circumstances, Rahim should have been the first two persons to be interrogated by the police, so as to get a preliminary statement from Rahim.
The police could interrogate Rahim for further state menu after it had continued with its investigations – and the police failure to take preliminary statement from Rahim borders on negligence.
The police must not only be fair, but must be seen to be fair, in its investigations into the Rahim scandal. The police should direct Rahim to return from the holiday leave overseas immediately so as to interrogate him – something the police should have done one month ago!
I was in Malacca on Sunday, and the latest talk in the state is that Rahim Tamby Cik would be returning from his ‘leave’ and resume his duties as Malacca Chief Minister.
Is this a political decision which had already, been taken by the highest political leadership in the government and which has influenced the nature and conduct of police investigations?