By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 7th June 1990:
DAP praises MCA Presidential Council for vetoing the MCA booklet ‘The Truth is Out’ on the KSM-MPHB Investment Fund scandal, for it would be more appropriately entitled ‘The Lies are Out’
I commend the MCA Presidential Council for again overruling the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Limg Liong Sik, by vetoing the release of the 50,000 copies of the MCA booklet, ‘The Truth is Out’, prepared by the MCA Central Publicity Bureau purportedly to justify Liong Sik’s stand on the KSM-MPHB Investment Fund scandal.
When the press first reported about this booklet, aimed to ‘white-wash’ Liong Sik’s irresponsible stand on the KSM-MPHB Investment Fund issue, I pointed out that it was full of contradictions as well as conflicts with the truth.
For instance, the booklet claimed on the one hand that Liong Sik and the MCA leadership knew nothing about the offer or interest of three public-listed companies to buy the 19.7 per cent stake of MPHB shares owned collectively by the KSM-MPHB Investment Fund unitholders, and yet on the other hand, claimed that the three offers were rejected because they were not backed by sufficient funding!
Everybody know that Liong Sik and the top MCA leaders knew about the offer or interest shown by three public-listed companies, for they got the information directly from the KSM Receivers, Khoo Eng Choo himself.
However, what authors of this booklet, which was ordered on the instruction of Liong Sik, did not realise is that if Liong Sik’s stand on the KSM Investment Fund is ‘white-washed’ and justified, it would also mean an attack on the stand on the MCA Deputy President, Datuk Lee Kim Sai and his faction in the MAC Presidential Council which overruled Liong Sik and accepted the DAP formula for the KSM Investment Fund issue.
The MCA booklet ‘The Truth is Out’ should more appropriately be entitled ‘The Lies Are Out’. When I criticized the contradictions and lies in the ‘The Truth is Out’, the MCA Deputy Secretary-general, Ting Chew Peh, came to the booklet’s defense. Now that the MCA Presidential Council has voted and withdrawn the booklet, what has Ting Chew Peh to say.
I am actually disappointed by the withdrawal and vetoing of the MCA booklet ‘The Truth is Out’ for the DAP is preparing a booklet to expose the lies in it.
Call on MCA Presidential Council to overrule Liong Sik’s victimization of Star reporter Chan Tham Seng for embarrassing him at a press conference confirming that Khoo Eng Choo had announced the interest of three companies in the KSM’s 19.7 per cent stake in MPHB
The MCA Presidential Council, however, should also overrule Liong Sik’s instruction to the Star management to victimize Star reporter, Chan Tham Seng, in connection with the KSM-MPHB Investment Fund scandal.
Chan Tham Seng’s only fault was to carry out his journalistic duties honestly and responsibly. After Liong Sik had organised the break-up of my meeting with him at the MCA Headquarters on March 27, with MCA Parliamentary Secretary, Chu Jui Meng acting as the Chief Rambo leading a crowd of rowdies hurling abuses and insults, the MCA President met the press reporters.
When Liong Sik reiterated that there had been no offer by three public-listed companies for the 19.7 per cent stake in MPHB shares, and that Khoo Eng Choo never mentioned about the three companies, Chan Tham Seng contradicted him and confirmed that he was present at Khoo Eng Choo’s press conference and that the KSM Receiver did mention that three companies were interested.
This caused extreme embarrassment to Liong Sik, and when he found out that Chan Tham Seng was a Star reporter, he was furious that a reporter in a MCA-owned newspaper should publicly expose him as a liar.
This led to Chan Tham Seng’s harassment and victimization in the Star on Liong Sik’s directive, and he was transferred to another post, which involved a lower take-home pay.
The MCA Presidential Council should review Chan Tham Seng’s case at its next meeting next Tuesday, and should either reinstate Chan in his former post and restore his total take-home pay, or should even promote and reward him for his high sense journalistic honesty and responsibility.
I am prepared to appear before the MCA Presidential Council: Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment
Another subject for MCA Presidential Council: Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment
Another subject which the MCA Presidential Council should overrule the MCA President is on the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment.
Selangor Mentri Besar, Tan Sri Mohamed Taib, said on Monday that the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment is still valid, including Sections 67 and 70 which had created such consternation and opposition from non-Muslim Malaysians as a grave violation of freedom of religion and parental rights to unfettered custody and guardianship over their children in Malaysia.
Tan Sri Mohamed Taib said that whatever the Supreme Court may have decided on the Trengganu case of Susie Teoh, the Selangor Enactment is valid and remains in force, and that the Selangor State Government has no intention to amend the Enactment to repeal Sections 67 and 70.
Legally, I agree with Tan Sri Mohamed Taib, for until and unless the Supreme Court had directly pronounced that Sections 67 and 70 of the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment is unconstitutional and therefore null and void, these two provisions remain lawful and valid until tested.
The proper way is for the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment to be suitably amended.
The reaction of the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, to the Selangor Mentri Besar’s assertion is very weak and shameful. Liong Sik dare not ask for amendments to the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment, and could only hide behind the decision of the Supreme Court judgement on the Susie Teoh case, which strictly speaking, binds only Trengganu and not other states, as Islamic Law Enactments are state subjects.
The rights of the non-Muslim parents will never be assured until the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment is amended. The MCA leaders should explain why their eight Selangor MCA Assembly could support the enactment of Sections 67 and 70 and yet could not now get them repealed?
The MCA Presidential Council should overrule Liong Sik’s weak, ineffective and dishonourable position on the Islamic Law Administration Enactment after the statement by the Selangor Mentri Besar, and should issue a directive to the eight Selangor MCA Assemblymen to ask for an emergency meeting of the Selangor Assembly to repeal Sections 67 and 70 of the Selangor Islamic Enactment, or submit their collective resignations as Selangor Assemblymen without any conditions attached!