By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 7.6.1985:
DAP deplore Harris’ statement on the bombings which seemed to be finding justification for such crimes
The DAP deplores the statement by the former Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Harris Salleh, on the recent spate of bomb explosions in Kota Kinabalu which seemed to be finding justification for such crimes.
Although Datuk Harris Salleh condemned the spate of bomb explosions, he went on to say that he ‘believe that the incidents were the reaction of the people to the behavior of the PBS leaders’.
Datuk Harris Salleh appeared to be qualifying his condemnation by indirectly expressing understanding for the reasons behind the spate of bomb explosions, which must be condemned by all peace-loving and democracy-committed Malaysian. In fact, Datuk Harris appears to be blaming the PBS leaders for the spate of bomb explosions, rather than the bomb plotters. This is most irresponsible for Datuk Harris and he should spell out clearly what he meant when he said that the bomb explosions were the reaction of the people to ‘the behavior of PBS leaders’!
In making his ambivalent statement, Datuk Harris is on the one hand condemning while on the other hand justifying the bomb explosions!
Why is Datuk Harris Salleh afraid of a public inquiry into the misdeeds, corruption, malpractices and abuses of power of Berjaya government
Datuk Harris Salleh is now in a publicity battle with the PBS Government of Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan on the misdeeds, corruption, malpractices and abuses of power of Berjaya government. He denied that his immediate family members had taken loans from the Koperasi Pembangunan Desa (KPD) and the Pribumi Participation Unit (PPU) and counter-alleged that Datuk Joseph Pairin had taken and defaulted on the loans from KPD and PPU.
If Datuk Harris Salleh is so sure, confident and arrogant about the ‘clean, honest and blameless’ government he headed from 1976 to 1985, then why is he afraid of a full public inquiry into the misdeeds, corruption, malpractices and abuses of power of Berjaya government.
During my recent Sabah visit, I had offered myself to head such a full public inquiry into the misdeeds, corruption, malpractices, and abuses of a power of the Berjaya government, in view of the allegations and counter-allegations that Berjaya and PBS leaders had been involved in improper practices. Is Datuk Harris Salleh brave enough to support such a proposal?
Last week Datuk Harris Salleh told a local press in an interview that the most he would give to PBS government is five years, because in future general elections in Sabah, USNO or another Islamic party may get 24 of the 48 Sabah State Assembly seats “because a lot of people are getting citizenships and all that”.
Malaysians and Sabahans are entitled to demand that Datuk Harris Salleh fully explain himself, whether he meant that the racial ratio in Sabah electorate & population would be greatly changed by the next general elections. Clearly, if this is the case, then it could only by way of the granting of quick citizenship status to the illegal Indonesian immigrants, Filipino ‘refugees’, and other illegal foreign nationals.
The question then arises as to why Datuk Harris Salleh, who headed the Berjaya government which chame to power in 1976 by toppling USNO government on the platform of safeguarding Sabahan rights and interests threatened by the unchecked influx of Filipino refugees and illegal Indonesian immigrants, had closed his eye and countenanced such grave developments with far-reaching consequences to all Malaysian citizens? Last week, the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mocktar Kusumaatmadja, told the Indonesian Parliament that there are 500,000 illegal Indonesian immigrants in Malaysia, which is probably a ‘low’ figure. Are these illegal Indonesian immigrants and Filipino refugees the people who are ‘getting citizenship’ to change the whole picture of political power in Sabah and Malaysia?