by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, on Tuesday, July 14, 1981:
DAP calls for White Paper on Russian Subversion and Infiltration of the higher reaches of Malaysian society and government
The detention under the Internal Security Act of the political secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Prime-Minister-to-be, Siddiq Mohamed Ghouse, and the expulsion of three top Soviet Embassy officials for KGB activities have highlighted what has been known or suspected for quite some time: the increasingly spread of the Russian expansionist tentacles in the Asia-Pacific region in keeping with the Russian world-wide designs of imposing Soviet supremacy and mastery.
The Soviet Union has not only intensified its military and naval build-up in the Asia-Pacific Regin, it has also intensified its campaign of subversion through its KGB espionage activities.
Apparently, in Malaysia, the Russian KGB has succeeded in its years of recruitment and activities in carrying out subversion among Malaysians, and infiltrating into the higher reaches of Malaysian society and government.
The DAP calls on the Government to issue a White Paper on Russian Subversion and infiltration of the higher reaches of Malaysia society and government over the past years, which should not only expose the heinous activities of the Russian KGB, but also forewarn Malaysians against being entrapped or enticed in becoming Soviet agents, or for that matter, agents of any other foreign power.
The timing of the arrest and expulsion, however, seem rather curious. There is no doubt that if the arrest and expulsions had been made before the UMNO General Elections, a complerely new element would have been introduced into the elections, whether for the Deputy UMNO Presidenty or other UMNO posts and this will remain one of the historical ‘ifs’ as to what would have happen if the exposes had taken place before the elections.
The DAP disagrees with the detention of Siddiq Mohamed Ghouse under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial. If the Government has evidence f against Siddiq Mohamed Ghouse for being an agent of the KGB, the Siddiq should be charged in court and an open trial held. The detention of Siddiq under the ISA WITHOUT the government having to establish and prove its charges is a serious blow to the rule of law.
I would therefore urge the Home Affairs Minister, Tan Sri Ghazalie Shafie, to consider charging Siddiq Mohamed Ghouse for offences of treason or other offences instead of detaining him under the ISA.
The Government, however, can be assured of the fullest support from the DAP to protect the integrity, dignity and sovereignty of Malaysia from subversion from Soviet Russian or grom any other power or country, for no Malaysian should betray his own country to become the agents of another foreign power, what more, of the secret service of another country.
DAP calls on Attorney-General to re-open the case of Suhaimi Kamarrudin to reconsider prosecuting him for sedition in calling for implementation of Clause 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act to convert Chinese and Tamil primary schools into national primary schools
I note that the Berjaya member, (Independent) MP Mark Koding has been charged with an offence under the Sedition Act, about three years after the initial police report.
Mark Koding spoke during the budget debate in Parliament on Oct.11, 1978, and called for the closure of Chinese and Tamil primary schools.
At that time, the DAP reacted immediately in condemnation of Mark Koding’s speech and I directed that a police report be made against Mark Koding for commiting an offence of sedition. On Oct. 26, 1978, Chan Teck Chan, who was then DAP MP for Kota Melaka, lodged the police report on the DAP’s behalf.
At every Parliament meeting since October 1978, DAP MPs had been asking in Parliament what has happened to the Mark Koding case.
Last year, DAP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Lam Thye lodged a police report against UMNO Youth Leader, Haji Suhaimi Kamaruddin, also for an offence of sedition for calling for the implementation of Clause 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act to convert Chinese and Tamil primary schools into national primary schools. I call n the Attorney-General to re-open the Suhaimi file and to change him in court for sedition.