Press Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Malacca on Friday, 17th August 1984:
Challenge to Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay to explain why they are co-ordinating closely with the Malacca Chief Minister to force the people to accept the Chief Minister’s Bukit China proposals?
On Wednesday, the Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Thamby Cik, said that he would not be subject to pressure on the Bukit China issue, and that the government was committed to do what it thought was good for the people.
Immediately the next day, Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay, who had been silent since the disastrous August 8, phantom 5,000 People Dinner, where they literally ‘dragged Koon Swan into the water’ by making him present the theory that the Chinese community do not have ‘development rights’ over Bukit China and showing his ignorance over the whole Bukit China issue, also came out with a fierce speech.
They declared that they would not be ‘political fugitives’ or ‘racial cowards’ and returned to their theme to get the Chinese community to back them in their support for the Chief Minister’s plan to level and develop Bukit China.
I challenged Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay to explain why they are co-ordinating so closely with the Malacca Chief Minister to achieve their common objective over the State Government’s plan to level and develop Bukit China.
The Chinese community must be vigilant of this new offensive by the Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction to pressurise the community to accept the Chief Minister’s Bukit China plan. Chan Teck Chan had warned that the Chinese community had very little time left to decide on Bukit China. He wanted all Chinese community organisations to meet to draw up a blueprint for development of Bukit China in keeping with the Chief Minister’s proposals as announced in the Malacca State Assembly on July 23 – which is the levelling of 80 per cent of Bukit China into housing and commercial centre and using the earth for land reclamation.
I would have thought that after being ‘dragging into the water’ at the August 8, phantom 5,000-People Dinner, Tan Koon Swan would have ordered Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay, and his MCA Malacca faction, to stay out of trouble. But clearly, Tan Koon Swan had no control over his Malacca faction led by Chan Teck Chan, Ng Peng Huay and Lim Soo Kiang.
The Chan Teck Chan, Ng Peng Huay and Lim Soo Kiang faction had pressurised the Melaka Tengah Municipality to harass shopkeepers and the public by sending out enforcement officers to threaten them with action if they do not remove the ‘Save Bukit China’ posters. Apparently, the posters put up by the Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction, which run into hundreds of thousands, are ‘approved’ posters which the townsfolks would be wrong to take down!
I want to warn the Tan Koon Swan MCA Malacca faction led by Chan Teck Chan, Ng Peng Huay and Lim Soo Kiang that the more they get the authorities to pressurise the people, the greater would be the people’s protest and objections!
Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay should speak clearly and say who are the ‘political fugitives’ and ‘racial cowards’ in the Bukit China issue? Are all those who disagree with their view that the Chief Minister’s Bukit China plan should be supported ‘political fugitives’ and ‘racial cowards’ – such as the Cheng Hoon Teng, the seven Chinese organisations comprising Malacca CCC, the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, the Negri Sembilan Chinese Assembly Hall, the Tung Chung/Chiau Chung, The Taiwan Universities Alumni and Nantah Alumni? And all the organisations and members of the public, especially the Chinese, who oppose levelling of Bukit China.
Yesterday, Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay made a joint speech. This is of course a new record in their joint support for the Malacca Chief Minister’s plan to level and develop Bukit China. We have come across joint statements, but only Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay could make ‘joint speech’!
In their ‘joint speech’, Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay also tried to pour cold water over the ‘Walk or Jog to Save Bukit China’ which the DAP is organising at the Bukit China on Sunday at 8 a.m.
Since the police this time is not causing trouble, why should Chan Teck Chan cause trouble, except to want to make the ‘Walk or Jog to Save Bukit China’ a failure – so that the Malacca Chief Minister could say the people of Malacca are not concerned about the future of Bukit China.
Yesterday, I publicly invited the Malacca Chief Minister to come to the ‘Walk or Jog to Save Bukit China’ on Sunday at 8 a.m. Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay – if they are not ‘political fugitives’ or ‘racial cowards’ – should come also, and find out people’s views about their role in the whole Bukit China issue.
Let the people of Malacca see whether Chan Teck Chan and Ng Peng Huay are ‘political fugitives’ or ‘racial cowards’ after all on Sunday, at Bukit China, at 8 a.m.