By Parliamentary Opposition Leaders, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Malacca on Thursday, Nov 7. 1985:
DAP opposes the new Ministry of Trade and Industry guideline requiring 51 per cent of new shares offered in public issue to bumiputras as new and unwarranted extensions of NEP policy of quotas and percentages.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry has announced a new regulation requiring 51 per cent of new shares offered in a public issue to be reserved to bumiputras.
In the past 30 year cent of new shares had to be reserved for Government-approved bumiputra institutions. Under the new Ministry of Trade and Industry guidelines, in addition to this, 30 per cent of the remaining shares for balloting would also have to be set aside for bumiputras. This works out to a total of 51 per cent of new shares in a public issue being reserved for bumiputras.
The MAS public issue is the first case to be affected by the 51% bumiputra ruling.
The DAP opposes the new Minitry of Trade and Industry guideline as a new and unwarranted extension of the NEP policy of quotas and percentages.
With the approach of the year 1990, which marks the end of the 20-year Perspective Plan of the NEP, Malaysians look forward to the beginning of the process of the dismantling of the NEP policy of quotas and percentages, and the reduction in the emphases dividing Malaysians into bumiputras and non-bumiputras.
Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be taking place – where there is new and unwarranted extension of the NEP policy of quotas and percentages, as in the new 51% ruling for bumiputras for new public shares.
This 51% bumiputra reservation could be extended and applied to all other areas, whereby 30% must be reserved for bumiputra institutions while out of the remaining 70%, another 30% had to reserved to bumiputra individuals.
Malaysians have a right to know why the other Barisan Nasional component parties, like MCA, Gerakan, SUPP, MIC, had agreed to this new and unwarranted extension of the NEP policy of percentages and quotas.
I call on the MCA, Gerakan, MIC and SUPP Ministers and Deputy Ministers to declare their stand on the unwarranted extension of the NEP which could only further undermine national unity and aggravate racial polarisation.
The 51% reservation for bumiputras in all new public share issues is clearly violative of the NEP policy setting 30% for bumiputras in various commercial and industrial undertakings.
Kadir Sheikh Fadzir’s statement on PBS highly deplorable as putting ‘oil on fire’ instead of helping to defuse the Sabah crisis
Deputy Foreign Minister and UMNO Supreme Council member, Kadir Sheikh Fadzir’s statement attacking the PBS as a ‘racialist party’ and ‘power greedy’ is most deplorable, as he is ‘pouring oil on fire’ instead of trying to defuse the Sabah political crisis.
From his statement, Kadir seems to be justifying the series of undemocratic, obstructive and destructive political moves which had taken place since the April 1985 general elections to deny the Sabah people their right to elect the government of their choice, and which had made the Malaysian parliamentary democratic process the laughing stock in the world.
As Deputy Foreign Minister, Kadir should know more than any Malaysian that the Sabah political and constitutional farce these last six months had done Malaysia’s international reputation and standing no good at all.
What is noteworthy about Kadir’s statement is that this is the first time an UMNO leader, purportedly in his personal capacity, had come out with a public stand attacking the PBS. Does this connote new UMNO thinking to put maximum pressure on PBS to coerce it to succumb to the will and pressure of USNO Berjaya.
I call on the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to make it clear that Kadir’s statement is strictly that of an individual one, and does not represent UMNO and Federal Government thinking. Otherwise, Malaysians will be entitled to ask whether in Malaysia, we are practising democracy or UMNO-cracy!
In this connection, the Sabah High Court decision to set aside the injunction restraining the Sabah Yang di Pertua from assenting to any Bill pertaining to the State Constitution passed by the State Assembly has avoided a possible conflict between the Judiciary and Legislature.
As Mr. Justice Datuk Abu Mansor Ali said yesterday, the injunction should not have been granted in the first place, as the court had no jurisdiction to grant an injunction against the Yang di-Pertua Negeri or to restrain the legitimate constitutional process and proceedings of the Assembly.
The setting aside of the injunction also removes the anomaly in public minds as to how a court injunction could be issued against the Yang di-Pertua Negeri but not against the Speaker or Elections Commission in connection with the four by-elections arising from the involuntary ‘resignation’ of four Assemblymen in Sabah.
DAP supports Hussein Onn’s call to PM to step in and visit Sabah
DAP supports the call on the former Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn, urging the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to step in and help resolve the Sabah political crisis, starting with an official visit to Sabah to assure Sabahans that law and order would be maintained and that the political crisis would be resolved politically.
I also endorse Hussein Onn’s proposal that all court cases in connection with the Sabah political crisis should be withdrawn, for the use of the court process to try to deny popular and unquestionable verdict of the people in the April 1982 general elections would bring discredit not only to the political system but legal system as well.
Democratic Action Party
Press Statement
by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, Nov. 8, 1985:
Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir should visit Sabah before his China trip from Nov. 23 – 28
The Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Musa Hitam, said yesterday that he and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, would only visit Sabah if and and when it is necessary.
Both Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed dan Datuk Musan Hitam would not be able to convince Malaysians that in the last six months, since the April 1985 general elections, it had not been necessary of them to visit Sabah to assure Sabahans that law and order would be maintained, and that the democratic and constitutional process would not be undermined.
If the Prime Minister could find it ‘necessary’ to visit the other states in Malaysia, why not Sabah, which has been plunged into a political and constitutional crisis. Would the Prime Minister only visit Sabah after a proclamation or emergency in Sabah?
Since he became Prime Minister four years ago, Datuk Seri Mahathir had visited over 40 countries, and on Nov. 20, he would be making his China trip.
I call on the Prime Minister to visit Sabah before his China trip from Nov. 20 – 28, for the Prime Minister has the responsibility as the Federal leader to assure the people of Sabah that despite their rejection of the Federal Government would discharge its responsibility to maintain law and order, the democratic process and constitutional propriety.
If the Prime Minister is concerned about the protracted political and constitutional crisis in Sabah, then his official visit to Sabah would go a long way to defuse the Sabah crisis, and allow the people and PBS government to turn to government programmes for the people and the State.
DAP calls for the withdrawal of the new Ministry of Trade and Industry guideline requiring 51 per cent of new shares offered in public issue to bumiputras as a new and unwarranted extension of NEP policy of quotas and percentages
The DAP calls for the withdrawal of the new Ministry of Trade and Industry guideline on 51 per cent of new shares offered in public issue should be reserved to bumiputras as this is a new and unwarranted extension of NEP policy of quotas and percentages.
Under the new Ministry guideline, companies wishing to float their shares will now have to allot 30 per cent of the open portion of shares available for public subscription to Bumiputra individuals and wholly Bumiputra-owned companies and organisations registered with the Ministry. This is in addition to the 30 per cent made by way of private placement to government-approved Bumiputera institutions. This works out to a total of 51 per cent of new shares in a public issue being reserved for bumiputeras.
With the approach of the year 1990, which marks the end of the 20-year Perspective Plan of NEP, Malaysians look forward to the beginning of the process of the dismantling of the NEP policy of quotas and percentages, and the reduction in the emphasis dividing Malaysians into bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras.
Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be taking place-where there is a repeated process of new and unwarranted extension of the NEP policy of quotas and percentages, as in the new 51% ruling for bumiputras for new public shares.
This 51% bumiputera reservation, arising from a two-tier reservation for bumiputras, could be extended to other areas, which could only further undermine national unity and aggravate racial polarisation. The 51% reservation for bumiputras in all new public share issues violates the NEP policy of setting 30% target for bumiputera participation in commercial and industrial undertakings.
Why is UMNO Youth keeping quiet about the wasteful spending sprees by government agencies and State Governments on overseas junkets
At one time, UMNO youth claimed that it would act as a watchdog against wasteful, unproductive and extravagant public expenditures. But recently, UMNO youth seems to have closed both its eyes to wasteful public expenditures in the form of overseas junkets by government officials and political leaders at public expense.
Recently, UDA sent so-called ‘study missions’ to Europe and the United States costing the taxpayer over $100,000, when all their previous study missions had not been able to prevent the UDA chalking up an accumulated loss of over $100 million its in first 10 years of operation.
In another few days, the Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Thamby Cik, would be leading a State Government ‘study tour’ on a junket to UAR, Portugal and Holland.
At a time of economic recession, there is no justification for such free junkets at public expense by political leaders and government officials.
Is the UMNO youth keeping silent about such wasteful public expenditures because UMNO and UMNO youth leaders are also involved?