by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, October 22, 1994:
Attorney-General’s press conference statement closing police investigations into the allegation involving Rahim Tamby Cik with 15-year-old school girl most unsatisfactory and has left many pertinent questions unanswered
I have studied the three-page statement of the Attorney-General, Datuk Mohtar Abdullah closing police investigations into the allegation involving former Malacca Chief Minister and former UMNO Youth Leader, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik with a 15-year-old schoolgirl and the full transcript of his 45-minute question-and-answer session with the press.
I find Mohtar’s statements, explanations and answers most unsatisfactory as he has left many pertinent questions unan¬swered.
I have two very strong impressions after studying Mohtar’s three-page statement and transcript of his 45-minute question-and-answer session with the press. The first is that the Attorney-General was very protective of Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik.
This is probably the direct result of the outburst’ of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed on his return from Turkmenistan on 7th October that Rahim had ‘unfairly treated’ and ‘condemned before being proven guilty’ his subsequent condemnation of ‘trial by media’.
My second strong impression is that while Mohtar was being very protective of Rabin Tamby Cik, he was most unfair to the 15-year-old schoolgirl.
If Mohtar is prepared to publicly reveal that the girl had alleged that 14 persons had sexual relations with her and had lodged 17 police reports against them, why is fie not prepared to reveal as to whether she had alleged that Rahim Tamby Cik had committed statutory rape with her?
Mohtar said that eight of the 14 individuals had admitted in their statements to the police to having sexual relations with the girl. Does this enhance or undermine her credibility?
I find the following excerpts from the transcript most noteworthy:
“Q: Did Tan Sri Rahim deny having sex with the girl?
“A: I can’t reveal that statement…
“Q: How many times did the girl allege she had sex with Tan Sri Rahim?
“A: I can’t reveal.
“Q: Once, more than once?
“A: I think you understand that what I can reveal, I will let you know.”
Any one who goes through Mohtar’s press conference statement and question-and-answer session must ask what is the relevance of allegations that 14 uteri had sexual relations with the girl in a case involving police investigations into whether Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik had committed the offence of statutory rape with an underaged girl.
Most unfair for the Attorney-General to try to destroy the credibility of the girl by referring to allegations of 14 men having sexual relations with her when she was not the person who lodged the police report against Rahim Tamby Cik in the first instance
It is obvious that the girl was “required” by the police to lodge 17 police reports against 14 men for having sexual relations with her and having committed the offence of statutory rape.
Why didn’t the Police “require” the girl to formally lodge a police report against Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik for statu¬tory rape, as the Attorney-General had himself admitted that ‘the initial report was made by a senior police officer to be a “covering report for the purpose of commencing investigation based on the report in the mass media”.
In fact, the first person to be reported in the mass media as referring to the allegation of Rahim Tamby Cik having an affair with a 15-year-old girl was none other than the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad himself, in Langkawi on 25th August.
At that time, Mahathir took a very aggressive position as the next day in Genting Highlands, he said that there was no need for a police report before investigations can proceed against Rahim Tamby Cik’s alleged affair with a 15-year-old schoolgirl.
Mahathir said: “If some-thing is wrong, we sometimes do not wait for reports. When we see a robbery, do we want to ask whether a report has been made before we start investigations?”
Did the Police interview the Prime Minister to ask him for his sources of information so that the Police could interview them – as in this case, it was not the girl who first made the allegation of statutory rape against Rahim Tamby Cik but certain UMNO quarters who must have gone all the way up to the Prime Minister himself.
Under these circumstances, it is most unfair on the part of the Attorney-General to try to destroy the girl’s ‘credi¬bility’ by revealing allegations that 14 men had sexual relations with her, without giving the girl an opportunity to defend herelf and when she was not the person who lodged the police report against Rahim Tamby Cik in the first instance!
It is outrageous that instead of trying to protect the girl, the victim is being further ‘victimised’ because of the special position of Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik!
If Rahim and his stalwarts in Government and UMNO want to police retaliate against anyone for the allegation and police inves¬tigations, they should not take it out on the girl by trying to destroy her credibility, but against those UMNO quarters who had brought the whole issue into public limelight!
If Rahim is not guilty of the allegation, then he should be immediately restored as Malacca Chief Minister and UMNO Youth Leader Rahim Tamby Cik’s seven-paragraph reaction yesterday to the Attorney-General statement is most interesting, espe¬cially where he said:
“Based on the statement by the Attorney-General, it is clear that there is no case against me as; proven by the investigation on the allegations made by the girl. This means that I ant guilty of the allegation.”
If Rahim is not guilty of the allegation, then he should be immediately restored as Malacca Chief Minister and UMNO Youth Leader.
The new Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Mohd. Zin Abdul Ghani should immediately resign from his Malacca Chief Minister¬ship which he had been sworn in for two weeks and. the Acting UMNO Youth chief, Datuk Nazri Aziz should hand over the reins of UMNO Youth Leader back to Rahim Tamby Cik. After all, Rahim is stay¬ing in the official residence of the Malacca Chief Minister.
Are these the implications of the Attorney-General’s announcement yesterday directing the police to close investiga¬tions against Rahim Tamby Cik and that there was no case to institute criminal proceedings of statutory rape against Rahim Tamby Cik?