By parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, 23.6.1984:
DAP calls on the Police to explain the outcome of its inquiry into the SPTM exam papers leakage
With the unsatisfactory outcome from the inquiry report of the Malaysian Examinations Council into the 1983 STPM exam papers leakage, the time has come for the Police now to make public the result of its separate investigations into the crime.
The public hopes that the Police would not be proved to be as futile in its efforts as the MEC. Both the MEC and the Police must realize that the leakage of STPM exam papers is an annual occurrence, and the STPM 1983 scandal differed from previous years only in scale and magnitude as if the culprits have decided that they have nothing to fear for their criminal action.
The Minister of Education, Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Daud, must now step in and show the people more positive results in the handling of the 1983 STPM exam papers leakage scandal. Probably, what is now needed is a public inquiry into the MEC itself for the 1983 STPM papers leakage, so that there would be no suspicion in anyone’s mind that the MEC’s inquiry was tailored to absolve the MEC from direct responsibility for the leakage.
I do not want to cast aspersions on anyone of the Inquiry committee members, but the gravity of the 1983 STPM exam papers leakage scandal clearly calls on the government to satisfy the public that no stone is being left unturned to get to the bottom of the 1983 SPTM exam leakage scandal.
I find the MEC report so unsatisfactory that I will press the matter at the July meeting of Parliament, with an oral query to the Minister of Education to give him an opportunity to go beyond the MEC report so as to restore the tattered image of the MEC and the credibility and reputation of the Malaysian examinations system.
Call on Chinese community not to concede the principle that the Malacca State Government could override the legitimate wished and sensitivities of the Malaysian Chinese on the future of Bukit China.
It would reported yesterday that the Malacca State Government would press ahead with its plans to level and develop Bukit China, the largest Chinese cemetery outside China, and the 500-year-old historic, cultural and religious site of the Chinese in Malaysia, despite widespread objections by the Malacca Chinese in particular, and the Malaysian Chinese in general.
This is most deplorable for its shows that the Malacca Barisan Nasional State Government is disregarding the views of the Chinese community on a matter which touches very close to their heart, and would evoke even stronger opposition and public protests if it proceeds headlong with its plan to level and develop Bukit China.
As a first step, the two MCA Executive Councillors, Datuk Tee Cheng York ( of the Neo Yee Pan faction in MCA ) and Datuk Lim Soo Kiang ( of the Tan Koon Swan faction ) should repudiate publicly their support for the Malacca State Exco decision to level and develop Bukit China.
I am however very concerned by statements by leaders of various Chinese mercantile associations which seemed to have given support to the Malacca State Government’s plan to level and develop Bukit China, just like the deplcable case of GBBS Youth movement. The
DAP calls on the Chinese community not to concede the principle that the Malacca State Government could have the right or power to override the legitimate wishes and sensitivities of the Malaysian Chinese with regard to the Bukit China question, or we would have lost the battle even before it is begun!