by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary¬Geneeral and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya or Wednsday, October 26, 1994:
MCA leaders are the ‘political bohsia’ of Malaysia as best illustrated by their complete silence on the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals – whether over the unfair treatment meted out to the 15-year-old schoolgirl or over his unusual and extraordinery wealth
Recently, the ‘bohsia’ culture has become the centre of national attention and the National Unity and Social Development Minister, Datuk Napsiah Omar said the ‘bohsia’ girls are those who live without parental guidance and “follow men who are willing to pay for their food, accommodation and give them presents”.
There are not only the ‘bohsia’ girls, but also the ‘political bohsia’ in Malaysia who are best exemplified by the MCA leaders, who had illustrated the latest example of ‘political bohsia’ with their complete silence on the Rahim Tamby Cik scandals – whether over the unfair treatment meted out to the 15-year-old schoolgirl or over his unusual and extraordinary wealth completely disproportionate to his known sources of income.
If Napsiah Omar defined the ‘bohsia girls’ as those who are prepared to “follow men who are willing to pay for their food, accommodation and give them presents”, the ‘political bohsia’ could also be defined its politicians and political parties who are prepared to follow and accept as political masters those who are to give thorn official positions, including Cabinet posts, government patronage, access to the corridors of power to get titles and money-making opportunities.
In the, last two days in Parliament, the sole issue was the Attorney-General’s unfair treatment of the 15-war-old girl to protect Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik., and the efforts by MPs with social conscience to redress, this injustice to the girl and her family and to extract an persecutte:d from the Government that the 15-year-old girl would not be victimized and persecuted because she had unwitting caused The downfall of Rahim as Malacca Chief Minister and UMNO Youth Leader.
The various women organisations which had come out openly to express their outrage over the outcome of the investigations into the Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik’s alleged affair with the 15-year-old girl and their criticism of the Attortiey-General’s revelation of the girl’s background must be commended.
1 hope the Attorney-General, Datnk Molitar Abdillhah would pay heed in particula to the comments of one woman lawyer who said in the local press today:
“Perhaps the Attorney-General needs to be reminded that his is not a faceless public office bi-A, that of the highest legal office in the country. Perhaps he needs a refersher course in criminal law. Surely his legal training would have taught him that under the law of evidence such information is irrelevant.
“Surely he should have lm own that this is a strict liability case and that in matters of this nature evidence is heard in camera? Also, the reasons become all the more compelling that since a minor is involved, protection should be given?”
However, what is most shocking is that throughout the last two days – in fact for the last two months since the allegation of Tan Sri Rahim committing statutory rape with an underaged girl became a public controversy – the MCA leaders including the three MCA women MPs had be guilty of the worst ‘political bohsia-ism’.
The MCA leader are not only ‘bohsia’ on the unfair handling of the 15-year-old girl by the Attorney- General, `bohsia’ on Rahim’s unusual and extraordinary wealth completely disproportionate to his known sources of income, but also ‘bohsia’ on all the important and fundamental issues affecting the people, whether on democratic freedoms, human right, citizenship rights or for a clean, honest and accountable govermnent.