By Parliamentary Opposition Leader , DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung , Lim Kit Siang , in Petaling Jaya on Monday , 31st January 1994:
DAP CWC demands that the Australian Government declare its stand on the preposterous allegation by former ASIS agents that Australian spies have bribed Opposition politicians and that it cannot hide behind its policy of not commenting on security and intelligence matters
The DAP Central Working Committee , at its ordinary meeting , met and discussed the preposterous allegation by Sydney Sunday Telegraph that Australian spies had recruited and bribed Opposition politicians and MPs and deplores the attempts by certain irrespeonsible Barisan Nasional parties and leaders to ‘ play poolitics’ with a national issue which should transcend party politics.
The DAP CWC demands that the Australian Government declare its stand on the preposterous allegation by former Australian spies had bribed Opposition politicians and MPs that itof not comm cannot hide behind its policy of not commenting on security and intelligence matters.
The Sdyney Sunday Telegrapgh report on the preposterous allegation that Australian spies had bribed Opposition politicians and MPs is itself an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of Malaysia by Australia apart from tarnishing the name and reputation of Malaysia.
DAP fully agrees with the Information Minister , Datuk Mohamed Rahmat when he said in Kuching on Saturday that the Australian Government must make a definite stand on the preposterous allegation , and that bilateral relations between the two countries could be strained if Australian remained silent on the matter.
Has the Australian Government agreed to investigate the Sydney Sunday Telegraph report and inform the Malaysian Government of the outcome of such invertigation as to whether Australian spies had bribed Opposition politicians?
The foreign Minister , Datuk Abdullah Badawi , said yesterday after meeting the Australian High Commissoner , John Dauth that the Malaysian and Australian Governments would try to verify the Sydney Sunday Telegraph report.
I do not know what Datuk Abdullah ‘s statement means , Malaysia would have problem in conducting any investigations into the Sydney Sunday Telegraph report unless there is co-operation from the Australian end- whether from the Australian government , ASIS or the former agents of ASIS.
However, the Australian Government should have no difficultly whatsoever in verifying the truth or otherwise of the Sydney Sunday Telegraph report.
Can Datuk Abdullah clarify whether the Australian Government has agree td to investigate the Sdyney Sunday Telegraph report and to inform the Malaysian Government of the outcome of such investigations into ASIS as to whether Australian spies had bribed Opposition politicians?
If the Australian Government has not given this undertaking , then wisma putra should officially request the cooperation of the Australian Government to get to the bottom of the allegation attributed to ex-secret agents of ASIS that Australian spies had bribed opposition politicians and MPs , by :
The Australian , Gvernment investigating the allegation and conveying the outcome of its investigating to the Malayian Governmentand Parliament;
Agreeing to an Joint Australian – Malaysia , Public Commission of Inquiry into the allegation ; or
Offering ASIS agents and former agents who had operated in Malaysia as witnesses in a Malaysian Public Inquiry Commission into the Allegation.