Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Dewan, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit siang, at the Sept. 9 date for Tan Koon Swan at the Malacca DAP premises at 8 p.m. to list out the evidence of close co-operation between the Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction and Malacca Chief Minister to level and develop Bukit China
Challenge to Tan Koon Swan Malacca MCA faction to explain whether it had advised the Malacca Chief Minister to acquire 15 acres of Bukit China first allegedly to build low-cost houses for the Chinese in Malacca to undermine public opposition to government plan
I had challenged Tan Koon Swan to attend this Sept. 3 date for him to listen to the Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction had worked closely with the Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Abdul Rahim Thamby Cik, in the Malacca State Government’s plan to level and develop 80 per cent of Bukit China into a housing and commercial centre.
The Tan Knno Swan Malacca MCA faction had worked with the Malacca Chief Minister in four phases: firstly, before the July 23 policy speech of the Malacca Chief Minister; secondly, I the preparation of the July 23 speech announcing the State Government’s plan to level and develop 80 per cent of Bukit China; thirdly in the period after July 23 speech to August 8; and fourthly, since August 8 till now in advising the Malacca Chief Minister how to deal with Chinese psychology and the Chinese community to achieve the objective to level and develop Bukit China.
In the first phase, during the period leading up to the July 23, policy speech by the Malacca Chief Minister, The Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction’s objective was to seek to scare off Cheng Hoon Teng Temple trustees, Malacca Chinese Chamber of Commerce Committee Members and other Chinese organization leaders from opposing the State Government’s Bukit China plan.
Chan Teck Chan even warned the Malacca Chinese Chamber of Commerce committee members that if they oppose the Bukit China plan of the government, they must be prepared to be arrested! The Tan Koon Swan Malacca MCA faction also put pressure on the Malacca Chinese Chamber of Commerce to dissociate it self from the Cheng Hoon Teng and to express support for the government’s plan to develop Bukit China.
In the second phase, the Tan Koon Swan MCA faction worked closely in preparing and formulating the Malacca Chief Ministers policy speech in the Malacca Assembly of July 23. This was the first time that the MCA had been so intimately involved in the preparation of a government policy statement, but unfortunately, not for the interest of the Chinese community but to the great detriment of the Chinese community.
The Chief Minister’s speech was crafted to deal with the Chinese mentality and psychology, as in the so-called three proposals for the development of Bukit China with its inducement of development by the Chinese community and threat of denial of Chinese participation if the first and second proposals are rejected.
There was the closest collaboration between the Chief Minister and the tan Koon Swan Malacca MCA faction as can be seen in the words used by both. Even before Chan Teck Chan wrote, and Ng Peng Huay delivered, the defamation of the Cheng Hoon Teng trustees as ‘pengkhianat bangsa’ on July 24 in the Malacca Assembly, a day before, the Malacca Chief Minister had already referred to these ‘pengkhianat bangsa’ of the Chinese in his policy speech.
In the third phase, the Tan Koon Swan MCA faction mobilized all their resource, including spending at least $300000 for the phantom 5000 people dinner of August 8 to get Chinese community support for the Chief Minister’s Bukit China plan.
It retailed the Malacca Chief Minister’s spurious argument that the Chinese do not have ‘development right’ over Bukit China, but only ‘burial rights’, and warned the Chinese community that it had ‘very little time’ left to accept the Malacca Chief Minister’s development plan.
When the phantom 5000-people August 8 dinner proved to be gigantic failure, the Tan Koon Swan MCA faction went underground, with its leaders making periodical statements castigating the Chinese community for not being ‘rational’ and ‘far-sighted’. Its main role during this period is to advise the Malacca Chief Minister how to undermine the unity of the Chinese community to the government’s Bukit China plan, as in raising the ‘May 13’ warning, which the Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction knows is very sensitive with the Malaysian Chinese; and the carrot and the stick’ approach.
I challenge the tan Koon Swan Malacca MCA faction to explain whether it had advised the Malacca Chief Minister to acquire 15 acres of Bukit China first, purportedly to build low-cost houses all to be given to the Chinese in Malacca. The purpose of this move is to cause disunity among the Chinese community in the hope that the poor who had been waiting for low-cost houses for over a decade, in the hope that the poor who had been waiting for low-cost houses or over a decade, would break ranks and support the government’s plan to level and develop Bukit China.
Why should the government’s low-cost houses be built on Bukit China, and not on the 31.25 acres of Malaim Jaya land which was given to Waton Sdn. Bhd. when Chan Teck Chan was in full control of the company?
During the entire period, the Tan Koon Swan MCA faction’s stand on Bukit China can be seen by the whole series of articles and features in the thrice-weekly publication of the Tan Koon Swan faction, Beritam Awam, as listed below:
CONCLUSING PORTION
It is crystal clear that the Tan Koon Swan MCA faction had right from the beginning worked in alliance with the Malacca Chief Minister to level and develop Bukit China into a housing and commercial centre.
Tan Koon Swan must make a basic decision as to whether he is prepared to admit his mistakes and that of his faction, apologise for all the destructive actions and statements of the Tan Koon Swan faction in Malacca and elsewhere, and return to the mainstream of Chinese community opinion and aspiration with regard to the future of Bukit China.