by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and Mp for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, In Petaling Jaya on Thursday, July 26, 1984:
Call on Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai to stay away from the 5,000-People August 8 Dinner in Malacca to express support for State Government plan to develop Bukit China
When on Thursday the Tan Koon Swan faction Assemblyman in Malacca, Ng Peng Huay, branded the Cheng Hoon Teng trustees as ‘pengkhianat bangsa’ – ‘traitors of the race’ – on the Bukit China issue, he also announced a national campaign led by Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai to support the Malacca Chief Minister’s development plan for Bukit China as announced in the Malacca State Assembly on Monday, 23rd July 1984.
The first major programme of this ‘Level and Develop Bukit China faction’ is to oganise a 5,000-People Dinner in Malacca on August 8 to demonstrate support to the Malacca Chief Minister on the Bukit China issue.
I would advise Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai to stay away from the 5,000 people August-8 Dinner in Malacca, for they would be going against the wishes of the Chinese community in Malacca as well as in Malaysia.
Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai rebelled against the Neo Yee Pan leadership in MCA, but before this battle is over, they seemed to have redirected their attack on the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple Committee and Chinese organisations in Malacca and Malaysia who supported the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple committee’s opposition to any government development of Bukit China by levelling it and turning it into a housing and commercial centre, and use the earth for land reclamation projects.
The Tan Koon Swan faction must explain to the Chinese in Malacca and Malaysia why they have suddenly decided to destroy the credibility and reputation of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple committee, to the extent of launching a national campaign as announced by Ng Peng Huay in the Malacca Assembly on Tuesday.
I want to remind Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai that the history of Cheng Hoon Teng is the history of the Chinese in Malaysia, and any attempt to destroy the Cheng Hoon Teng’s moral authority is to destroy the Chinese cultural roots in Malaysia.
From Ng Peng Huay and Chan Teck Chan’s denunciations of Cheng Hoon Teng, it would appear that the Tan Koon Swan faction in MCA regards the Cheng Hoon Teng as a even greater enemy than Neo Yee Pan leadership? Can Tan Koon Swan and Lee Kim Sai explain and justify this development?
A Conspiracy to Level and Develop Bukit China
From recent level developments and various sources of information, it is clear that there is a plot and conspiracy involving many quarters with the common views to achieve the objectives to level and develop Bukit China into a housing and commercial centre.
At the DAP Public Ceramah on the Bukit China issue, which would be held at Pay Fong Chinese Secondary School in Malacca on Saturday, July 28, beginning at 7.30 p.m., I would make public ^ more details about this plot and conspiracy to level and develop Bukit China.
Malacca CCC should go slow in its proposal to meet Prime Minister
The Malacca Chinese Chamber of Commerce has said that it proposes to send a delegation to see the Prime Minister, Dr.Mahathir Mohamed, on the Bukit China issue. I do not think that at this stage of the Bukit China issue development, where there is a vocal support for the Chief Minister’s development plan as represented by the ‘Level and Develop Bukit China faction’ in MCA and Chinese community, this would be a wise move. It may be a very ill-advised step. The first thing that must be done is for the Chinese community ^ make clear its united stand against any form of government development of Bukit China and the rejection of the Chief Minister’s three proposals on Bukit China.