by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Friday, 18th June 1993:
Dr. Kang Chin Seng’s statement has confirmed that Penang Gerakan has lost confidence in ‘the Mahathir card’ and wants to use ‘the China card’ to check the erosion of its public support in Penang
The statement by the Gerakan Penang State Exco member, Dr. Kang Chin Seng, has confirmed that the Penang Gerakan has lost confidence in ‘the Mahathir card’ and wants to use ‘the China card’ to check the erosion of its public support in Penang.
This is the only explanation for Dr. Kang Chin Seng’s wild and senseless statement yesterday.
Dr. Kang Chin Seng had been in politics for more than a decade, as he belonged to the batch which declared that its political mission was to ‘Attack into the Barisan Nasional to rectify the Barisan Nasional’.
Everybody knows that they have accomplished their mission so well that they have become ‘totally rectified’ by the Barisan Nasional, and as a reward, they have been promoted to various positions in government, both at federal and state level.
However, it would appear that Dr. Kang Chin Seng has not even learned the basic rules without which no political leader will gain respect.
Firstly, he must not make wild and senseless allegations which he could not substantiate, as Dr. Kang Chin Seng did in his statement yesterday.
Dr. Kang alleged that I had tried all ways to stop Dr. Koh Tsu Koon from going to China. Clearly, Dr. Kang is also having problem with his Bahasa Malaysia, or he would have uncerstand what I said at the Penang State Assembly official opening last Saturday, when I sought a ruling from the Penang Speaker on whether it was proper and constitutional to separate the official opening of the Penang State Assembly from the working State Assembly sitting by 11 days.
I had repeated in the State Assembly what I had said before, that Dr. Koh Tsu Koon’s visit (as well as Dr. Mahathir’s visit to China) had the ‘blessings’ of the DAP, as such visits are good for Malaysia, but the China trip cannot be used to violate and circumvent the six-month rule in the Penang State Constitution and the democratic principle of accountability.
Advice to Chin Seng to go for a ‘crash course’ in Bahasa Malaysia so that he would not repeat embarrassing blunders because of his inadequate grasp of the language
I would advise Dr. Kang Chin Seng to go for a ‘crash course’ in Bahasa Malaysia before the Penang State Assembly resumes next Wednesday, so that he would not make the same embarrassing blunders again because of his inadequate grasp of the language.
Dr. Kang Chin Seng is so desperate in wanting to play ‘the China card’ that he tried to spread falsehoods – as that Penang DAP wanted to sabotage Tsu Koon’s visit to China and that Penang DAP is opposed to the twinning of Penang and Xiamen.
Dr. Kang Chin Seng should not underestimate the intelligence of the people of Penang and Malaysia, for they can see the political games of Ph. D. – holders like him.
Dr. Kang Chin Seng seems to be more hurt than Dr. Koh Tsu Koon in my criticism that Tsu Koon had not done enough homework for the China trip or agreement would have been reached for a China consulate in Penang.
This is understandable as there is no reason why Tsu Koon and Dr. Kang Chin Seng should have overlooked the establishment of a China consulate in Penang to promote greater exchanges and contacts in trade, tourism and cultural exchange if they had not been too obsessed with the Gerakan party elections in April and May – particularly over the prospect of Dr. Goh Cheng Teik constesting for one of the three Gerakan Vice President’s posts.
Instead of making wild and senseless allegations against Penang DAP, Tsu Koon and Chin Seng should have the humility to admit their mistake of not doing enough homework for the China trip to get agreement for the establishment of a Chinese consulate in Penang.
Finally, let me also advise Dr. Kang Chin Seng that if Penang Gerakan has reached the political decision that its political fortunes depend on its playing ‘the China card’ in preference over ‘the Mahathir card’, the Penang Gerakan leaders must learn to play ‘the China card’ with greater finesse and sophistication and not in so crude and vulgar a manner as at present.