Press Conference Statement (2) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Thursday, October 6, 1994 at 11.30 a.m.
If Rahim is not fit to be candidate in next general elections, then he is not fit to continue as Malacca Chief Minister for a single day or UMNO and UMNO Youth are not putting national interests above party interests
The Rahim Tamby Cik affair seems finally to be approaching the ‘end-game’, although the whole episode should have been ended in August itself with the UMNO leadership removing Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik as Malacca Chief Minister.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, said at the end of his visit to Turkmenistan yesterday that Rahim had submitted his letter tendering his resignation from all government and political posts before Mahathir left on Sept. 27 for his overseas tour.
Mahathir had wanted to submit Rahim’s letter to the UMNO Supreme Council on October 8 but was forced to make the announcement due to the latest developments in Malacca UMNO Youth and National UMNO Youth which have publicly declared that Rahim should be dropped from the next general election as he would be a liability if renominated as a candidate.
Acting UMNO Youth chief, Datuk Nazri Tan Sri Aziz fully supported the Malacca UMNO Youth’s call for dropping Rahim because Malacca UMNO Youth “is better informed” about Rahim Cik.
If Rahim is not fit to be candidate in next general elections, then lie is riot tit to continue as Malacca. Chief Minister for a single day or UMNO and UMNO Youth are not putting national interests above party interests.
Is there any understanding that if Rahim quits all government and. -party posts, lie would enjoy immunity from prosecution?
When Malacca UMNO Youth and National UMNO Youth said that Rahim would be a liability to Barisan Nasional in the next general elections, are they referring to the allegation that Rahim had an affair with a 15-year-old schoolgirl or to the ten police reports which the DAPEY National Chairman and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Guan Eng, had lodged with the Anti-Corruption Agency about Rahim’s unusual and extraordinary wealth?
Malacca UMNO Youth which Nazri said is “better informed about Rahim” and National UMNO Youth owes the people a clarification as to whether they have decided to repudiate Rahim
Tamby Cik because of the allegation about the 15-year-old schoolgirl or the corruption charges levelled against Rahim Tamby Cik.
The next question, the people want to know is whether there is any understanding that if Rahim quits all government and party posts, Rahim would enjoy immunity from any prosecution?
The failure of the police to interrogate Rahim Tamby Cik after over six weeks since the Prime Minister ordered a fall-scale investigation into the allegation of Rahim having an affair with a 15-year-old girl now takes on a new light with the latest developments.
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 in custody depriving tier of her 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’?
The family of the 15-year-old girl had wanted the police to release the girl, but had been forewarned that the police could not guarantee her personal safety and security!
Who would want to harm the 15-year-old girl if she is released from police custody? If the police cannot guarantee her personal safety, then the police must have some idea of the person or persons who wanted to harm her, and if so, why the police had failed to take the necessary preventive actions to remove such threats?