by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Wednesday, June 26, 1991:
Kang Chin Seng has shown his political shallowness when he suggests that DAP should ask for an Assembly meeting to explain the Lim Hock Seng issue
I am shocked by the statement by the Gerakan National Publicity Bureau Chief and Exco member, Dr.Kang Chin Seng, suggesting that the DAP should ask for an Penang Assembly meeting to explain the Lim Hock Seng issue.
The more statements Dr.Kang Chin Sne g make on this issue, the more he shows his political shallowness and immaturity. No wonder the Penang Chief Minister, Dr.Koh Tsu Koon, had to enter the picture two days ago to try to save the situation after Dr.Kang had messed it up right from the beginning with his total disregard for Chinese customs and basic human decencies in launching a political attack on Lim Hock Seng on the eve of the funeral of Hock Seng’s mother!
The Penang Gerakan leadership has a political vulture. Now it seems they also have a political vampire, whose thirst for blood cannot wait- and must be quenched, even though human decencies would have suspended all political and personal attacks against any person who had lost his parent and who is deep mourning making preparations for the last rites!
Can Dr.Kang Chin Seng advance one good reason why the DAP should ask for an Assembly meeting to explain the Lim Hock Seng issue?
As far as the DAP is concerned, the Lim Hock Seng issue is closed and the allegation of the Deputy Chief Minister and UMNO State Secretary, Dr.Ibrahim Saad, that Lim Hoch Seng had abused his position as elected representative for his direct pecuniary interest dismissed as baseless and frivolous.
There is nothing for Lim Hoch Seng to explain to the Assemblym as Hock Seng had already said in the Assembly that he was not owner or operator of the so-called illegal factory as alleged by Dr.Ibrahim Saad.
It is the three Barisan Nasional ‘doctors’, namely, Dr.Ibrahim Saad, Dr.Koh Tsu Koon and Dr.Kang Chin Seng, who want to keep the issue alive and maintain, although totally without one iota of proof, that Hock Seng had abused his position as Assemblyman for his direct pecuniary interest.
The onus is on the three Barisan Nasional ‘doctors’ to prove their allegation or summon State Assembly meeting
It does not have to take a person with doctorate qualifications to know- as even children will know- that in these circumstances, the onus is firmly on the three Barisan Nasional ‘doctors’ to prove their allegation.
This the three Barisan Nasional ‘doctors’ have completely failed to do. The DAP, however, had been very open-minded, and had declared that although the three Barisan Nasional ‘doctors’ have failed to produce any proof of their allegation, the DAP Penang Assemblymen will not object if the Penang Assembly is immediately summoned to meet to establish a public inquiry or refer Lim Hock Seng to the Committee of Privileges.
The DAP is prepared to agree to a public inquiry or an investigation by the Committee of Privileges although the three Barisan Nasional ‘doctors’ have produced on proof, because we have nothing to hide!
The Gerakan leadership never showed such open-mindedness in the then the Penang Gerakan State Vice Chairman and Penang of Speaker, Datuk Ooi Ean Kwong, was accused of malpractices and abuses of power, did the Penang Gerakan agree to the establishment of a public inquiry or to refer Ooi Ean Kwong to the Committee of Privileges?
I am very surprised that I have to explain such a simple matter to Dr.Kang Chin Seng who seems to be utterly confused about whether he is making the allegation or somebody else is making the allegation.
Two days ago, the Penang Gerakan Youth leader accused the DAP of a ‘cover-up’ in its hasty dismissal of the Barisan Nasional allegations against Hock Seng.
This statement has given further proof to justify the earlier confession by this Penang Gerakan Youth leader that he ‘could not make the big league’.
What is there for the DAP to –cover-up- when it is so easy for the Barisan Nasional government to ‘open up’ the issue by calling an immediate State Assembly meeting to establish a public inquiry or refer Hock Seng to the Committee of Privileges?
Why is the Barisan Nasional Government so reluctant to call an immediate State Assembly meeting to establish a public inquiry or refer Hock Seng to the Committee of Privileges?
Will anyone have any doubt that if the three Barisan Nasional ‘doctors’ have ample proof that Hock Seng had abused his position as elected representative for his direct pecuniary interest, the three Barisan Nasional ‘doctors’ would have any hesitation to summon an immediate State Assembly meeting?
It is not the DAP who must explain to the people about the political integrity of its leaders, but the Gerakan. Up to now, Gerakan has not explained the position of its State Vice Chairman, Datuk Ooi Ean Kwong, or that of its former Penang Chief Minister-heir designate, Khor Gark Kim (although he had defected to MCA) because of allegations of abuses of power and malpractices made against the.
Now has the Gerakan explained the position of its CEC member, Deputy of Wanita Gerakan and Gerakan MPPP Council-lor, Ms Rhina Bhar, who was suspended on June 19 from practising as a lawyer for three months for violating the Legal Profession Act 1976.
Can the Penang Gerakan Youth leader figure out who is the ‘puppet-master’ I am referring to?
Yesterday in my statement, I had said that I had waited for Dr.Koh Tsu Koon to open his mouth on the Lim Hock Seng issue, and that I was not disappointed. I made the further remark that “When the puppet-master is in action, the puppet must also play his part”.
In case the Penang Gerakan Youth leader who ‘could make the big league’ has wrong ideas, I want to strongly deny that I am holding out myself as the ‘puppet-master’.
There is no doubt that there is a ‘puppet-master’ and a ‘puppet’ in this affair. It would give the Penanf Gerakan Youth leader good training to figure out who is the ‘puppet-master’ I am referring to. Who knows, the Penang Gerakan Youth leader may make it to the ‘big league’ after all if he could fathom who is the ‘puppet-master’!
This is therefore a public test of the political acumen of the Penang Gerakan State leader and may be the final opportunity for him to prove whether he could make the ‘big league’ or not. Dare he answer who is the ‘puppet-master’ I referred to?