By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang Jaya on Tuesday , January 26th, 1994:
Categorical denial by DAP and call on Malaysian and Australian Governments to establish Joint Public Comission of Inquiry to nail the preposterous allegation that Australian spises have paid senior oppostition politicians in Malaysia tens of thousands of dollars over the years
I refer to a repost in the Australian Sunday Telegraph which states:
Australian spies have paid senior opposition politicians in Malaysia and Singapore tens of thousands of dollars without the full knowledge or consent of the Federal Government , former secret against have alleged.
The cash payments from the Australian Secreat Intelligence Service (ASIS) have continued over many years beginning when the MPs were junior politicians and increased as the receipients grew in stature.
“the clandestine payments and their management show ASIS has taken it upon itself to meddle directly in the internal political affairs of a foreign nation without specific authorization , the former field agents claim.
“They say what started as simple bribes snowballed over the years with little reassessment of the value or morality of the payments .”
This is most preposterous allegation which seemed to imply that there are “senior opposition politicians “ who were recruited when they were junior MPs who are in the pay of Australian spies.
It is not clear from the report whether these “senior opposition politicians” referred to are still MPs today , what was the time frame of the allehed payments by the Australian spies – whether today , five years ago or ten years ago – and whether referring to Penisular Malaysia , Sabah or Sarawak.
However , I want to issue a most categorical denial if there is any suggestion that any DAP MP had been in the pay of Australian spies.
I for one do not move around the diplomatic cocktail circuits , and I just cannot imagine what secret information DAP leaders could lay therir hands on which would be of use to Australian spies.
If ASIS wants to have spies who could have real access to useful information , they should be recruiting agents from government politicians who are likely to become Deputy Ministers or even Ministers as this would be a more fertile and fruitful field . The ASIS must be very stupid to be recruiting agents from the Opposition.
This is however a very serious allegation which could not be taken lightly , and the DAP calls on the Malaysian Government and the Australian Governments to establish a Joint Public Commission of Inquiry to nail the preposterous allegation and lie that Australian spies had been paying “senior opposition politicians “ tens of thousands of Australian dollars and had cultivated them since they were junior politicians.
If there is any truth in such preposterous allegation , then the full rigours of the laws of the land should be applied to such ‘senior opposition politicians’ who are prepared to be spies of Australian or any other foreign country.
The Canberra Times have reported that the Australian Foreign Minister , Gareth Evans had refused to comment on Sydeny’s Sunday Telegraph report as his spokesman said that the government never commented on intelligence matters.
This reaction may be acceptable for normal occasions , but it is clearly unacceptable now when the reputation and integrity of senior opposition politicians are besmirched and I call on the Australian Prime Minister , Paul Keating , to make public a full list of Malaysian politicians who had been on the payroll of the ASIS.