Departure Press Conference statement (2) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Miri on Friday, September 15, 1995 at 10.30 a.m.
Billy Abit Joo has lost the right to challenge the legitimacy of Belaga native chiefs who oppose Bakun when he dared not turn up in parliament for a face-to-face encounter when a delegation of Belaga native chiefs met MPs in parliament House for a dialogue on Bakun
The MP for Hulu Rejang, Billy Abit Joo said yesterday that the Bakun Development Committee (BDC) regretted the allegation of the few individuals in the media recently who claimed that they were representing the people in the Belaga District and in Balui in particular and were champions of the people affected by the Bakun hydroelectric project.
He said the action of the individuals did not represent the views of the BDC, of which he is an official. He claimed that the overwhelming majority of the people in the Balaga area fully supported the Bakun project.
Billy Abit Joo has lost the right to challenge the legitimacy of belaga native chiefs who oppose Bakun when he dared not turn up in Parliament for a face-to-face encounter when a delegation of Belaga native chiefs met MPs in parliament House for a dialogue on Bakun last month.
I had organised the dialogue in Parliament House on August 22 for MPs from all political parties meet with a delegation of native chiefs from Belaga on the Bakun project.
I had sent the invitation to Billy Abit Joo as well as all other Barisan Nasional MPs to attend the dialogue. If billy Abit Joo had good grounds to doubt the legitimacy of the belaga native chiefs, he should have attended the dialogue and challenged their right to speak on behalf of the people of Belaga in Parliament House to all MPs on the Bakun project.
The fact that Billy Abit Joo dared not turn up at the dialogue between MPs and the delegation of Belaga native chiefs in parliament House last month is proof that Billy had accepted their right and legitimacy to speak on behalf of the people of Belaga, and he should not try to run them down now.
I am quite surprised by the parliamentary role of Billy, who as MP for the ares where the Bakun dam project would be carried out, should be speaking on behalf of the people of belaga, and he should not ry to run them down now.
I am quite surprised by the parliamentary role of Billy, who as MP for the area where the Bakun dam project would be carried out, should be speaking up for the people of Bakun. However, Billy seems to be more MP for Ekran rather than MP for the people of Bakun.
I have not heard billy speak up in Parliament demanding full accountability and transparency in the Bakun dam project, as in demanding that the Federal and State Governments should make public all the studies which they had commissioned on the Bakun dam project.
I am not asking Billy to oppose the Bakun dam project, but the people of Bakun and Malaysia definitely, expect the MP in the area to be the strongest voice in parliament to ensure the Bakun dam project should be taken fully into account, before any work begin on the Bakun dam project.