Speech by Parliamentary Opposition leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at the official opening of the new premises of the Rasah DAP Branch at the Rasah New Village, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan on Saturday, 21st July 1984 at 6pm.
Call on Tan Koon Swan to explain why the MCA faction led by his is challenging the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple’s right to oppose Malacca State Government plan to level and develop Bukit China
Chan Teck Chan is the Malacca leader of the Tan Koon Swan faction in the MCA in the power struggle with Neo Yee Pan faction, and he clearly speaks in the name of the Tan Koon Swan faction.
On the Malacca State Government’s plan to level and develop Bukit China, Chan Teck Chan and the 52 Malacca MCA branches which back Tan Koon Swan, have taken an open public stand challenging the right of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, the trustees of Bukit China, to oppose any Malacca State Government plan to develop Bukit China.
Tan Koon Swan must explain why the MCA faction led by him has decided to challenge the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple’s right to oppose the Malacca State Government’s plan to level and develop Bukit China. Even the MCA Secretary-General, Tan Sri Chong Nyan, had gone on public record as stating that the MCA would respect the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple’s wishes on the future of Bukit China, although we want not just words but action.
Is the Multi-Purpose Holdings Bhd, ‘calculating the abacus’ with regard to the development potential of the 104 acres of Bukit China?
There is an irresponsible group in Chinese community who has bought up for all the newspapers in Malacca carrying the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple invitation to public to give their views to manufacture public support for government levelling and development of Bukit China.
Yesterday, all Chinese and some English newspapers carried an advertisement by Cheng Hoon Teng Temple inviting families of deceased buried on Bukit China, Chinese clans and Associations, and all other persons and associations having an interest in Bukit China, to submit their views about the Government’s intention stated in a letter of Oct.5,1983, to develop Bukit China into a housing and commercial area, so that Cheng Hoon Teng Temple could make official and authoritative representations to the Government of Malacca.
The advertisement also carried two types of rooms forms they support the Malacca Government’s proposal to develop Bukit China.
Yesterday, all Chinese and English newspapers in Malacca carrying the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple advertisement and forms were bought up by a syndicate which went round all the news and by 10 a.m. there were no more newspapers left. Some news vendors were told that the bulk purchase was for bus-loads of tourists heading for Haddyai!
We want to ask the ulterior motive of this group of people in Chinese community in buying up all Chinese and English newspapers with the Chen Hoon Teng Temple advertisement and we call on this group of people to have the courage to openly identify themselves. Clearly, this group of people will try to manufacture public support for government development of Bukit China by handing in in large quantities phantom support government development of Bukit China forms to Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. I call on the public in Malacca and Malaysia to be on the watch-out for this group of irresponsible people in Chinese community who seems to be desperate in wanting to drum up public support for this development of Bukit China. The DAP will be watching closely the activities of this group of people, and will not hesitate to publicly expose the culprits involve.