Media Conference Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Monday, 10 November 2008 at 11 am:

Excessive police violence to arrest 23 peaceful celebrants of freedom, including elected representatives in PJ while total police impotence in a Mat Rempit mob rampage in Jalan Loke Yew, KL beating five people unconscious testimony that police under Musa Hassan has lost proper sense of priorities

Firstly, the excessive police force and violence at yesterday peaceful candlelight vigil to campaign for “No to ISA” and mark the first anniversary BERSIH campaign for free, fair and clean elections must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

It shows that the police has completely forgotten the important recommendation of the Royal Police Commission that the police force should become an efficient, professional, incorruptible world-class police service with three priority objectives – to keep crime low, eradicate corruption and respect human rights.

If the Royal Police Commission recommendations had been taken seriously, the shameful and disgraceful episode in Petaling Jaya yesterday, where some 23 people were arrested including DAP MP for Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua, DAP Selangor State Exco Ronnie Liu and DAP Selangor State Assemblyman for Kampong Tunku Lau Weng San would not have happened.

Why is the massive deployment of police personnel to break up a peaceful gathering of Malaysians to campaign for freedom, justice and democracy by excessive police force and violence continue to be a greater priority and more important police agenda than the mobilization of police personnel to keep crime low and restore to Malaysians, tourists and investors their fundamental right and freedom to be safe from crime and the fear of crime?

[Read full article...]

Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, 28 October 2008

Is there not a single Umno, MCA, Gerakan, MIC MP who dare to emulate PRS MP Billy Abit Joo to support a parliamentary debate on the review of ISA – and if so, why do they want to get elected into Parliament?

Is there not a single Umno, MCA, Gerakan or MIC MP (including Minister/Deputy Minister) in Peninsular Malaysia who dare to emulate Sarawak BN MP, Billy Abit Joo (Parti Rakyat Sarawak) to support a parliamentary debate on the review of the Internal Security Act (ISA) – and if so, why do they want to get elected into Parliament?

Barisan Nasional MPs from whichever component party cannot remain blind, deaf and dumb to the increasingly widespread and popular demand from all sectors of Malaysian society for review and repeal of the draconian Internal Security Act, which stands as a symbol of the lack of democracy and rule of law in the country.

Yesterday, October 27, was the 21st anniversary of the Operation Lalang mass ISA arrests in 1987, with 13 MPs among 106 persons arrested under the infamous detention-without-trial law.

If the BN MPs suffer from amnesia of history of what happened two decades ago, they cannot be unaware of the blatant and scandalous abuse of the ISA only last month when the ISA was used against the latest trio of ISA victims – Sin Chew senior reporter Tan Hoon Ching, DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok and blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin on completely baseless grounds.

In recent weeks, MCA and Gerakan leaders have been making headlines with their demands for the review and repeal of ISA – but all these noises are made just for “syiok sendiri” and out of the hearing or presence of top Umno leaders.

Both MCA and Gerakan annual conferences this month passed resolutions on the review of the ISA but this is only for party and public relations consumption but never meant to be pursued seriously in Parliament or Cabinet.

This is why there is not a single MCA or Gerakan MP (including Minister/deputy Minister) who can emulate Billy Abit Joo to put his signature to support the requisition for a priority debate in Parliament on the review and repeal of ISA.

The requisition, which has the support of 85 MPs (81 Pakatan Rakyat, three Independent and one Barisan Nasional) is not committing any MP to a stand to repeal the ISA but only to support priority debate in Parliament on whether the ISA should be reviewed and repealed.

Even MPs who want to retain the ISA can support the requisition for a priority parliamentary debate on the ISA as it is very clear that there has been radical deviation from the original purpose and character of the ISA when it was enacted by Parliament in 1960 – what more, in the case of MPs in MCA and Gerakan who have just been entrusted by their national delegates with the specific mandate to demand the review and even repeal of ISA?

I reject the explanation by the new MCA Youth chief and Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong why MCA MPs cannot join 85 MPs (including Billy Abit Joo) to requisition the holding of a parliamentary debate on the review of the ISA.

He claimed that the MCA have “our own way of resolving matters”, that “the right forum is the Cabinet”, even claiming authority for this approach by declaring that Malaysia is following the Westminster model of parliamentary democracy.

Everybody knows that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had publicly slapped down the call for review of the ISA when he spoke at the opening of the 55th MCA General Assembly ten days ago.

Which of the four MCA Ministers are going to raise the MCA General Assembly resolution for a review of the ISA in the Cabinet? I am sure none, especially as one MCA Minister is not very sure about his Cabinet tenure after losing out in the MCA Deputy President election while the new MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat would be more preoccupied about ensuring “smooth sailing” for his recommendations to the Prime Minister for MCA appointments in government.

If MCA Ministers dare not raise the ISA review in Cabinet and MCA Deputy Ministers and MPs dare not even support a requisition for priority parliamentary debate on a ISA review, what is the use of having MCA represented in Parliament?

As for Malaysia practising Westminster model of parliamentary democracy, let me remind not just MCA but all BN Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MPs that this had not prevented some 140 Labour Party MPs from voting against the British government’s motion on Iraq War in March 2003 on a matter of conscience and public policy.

Nobody is asking any MCA or BN MP to go against the Barisan Nasional government but to support a requisition to the Prime Minister that there should be priority parliamentary debate on the question of a review of the ISA.

Let Presidents of UMNO, MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the Sabah and Sarawak BN component parties declare whether they have prohibited their MPs from supporting the requisition by 85 MPs for an urgent debate on the ISA review?

If this is an impossible mission to them, then there should be an immediate stop to all the chest-thumping claims by UMNO, MCA, Gerakan and MIC leaders that they have learnt the lessons of the March 8 “political tsunami” and that they are going to be articulate and outspoken as they are nothing but just hogwash!

Lim Kit Siang
DAP Parliamentary leader
MP for Ipoh Timor

Media Statement by Tony Pua in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, 21 October 2008

The Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced yesterday that the Government will inject RM5 billion into ValueCap Sdn Bhd to invest in “undervalued companies”, presumed to be those listed on Bursa Malaysia. This was part of the initial slew of high-level measures announced by the Finance Minister, who at the same time confirmed that there will be no cut in the budgeted expenditure for 2009, currently debated in Parliament.

According to press reporters today, he has further announced this morning that the source of the RM5 billion additional investment will not be from the Government’s budget but instead be sourced from statutory bodies such as the Employee Provident Fund (EPF).

Hence, this RM5 billion off-budget measure raises several very worrying questions and concerns:

1. What measures have been put in place to ensure that the RM5 billion will be utilised in a fair and transparent manner and not be used instead to bail out Government-linked or crony companies whose stock prices have plummeted during the current financial crisis? Will ValueCap for example, be investing a substantial amount into Malayan Banking Berhad who has been hit badly, to a large extent due to its purchase of Bank International Indonesia at exhorbitant prices?
2. Secondly and more critically, how will supporting the prices of stocks listed on Bursa Malaysia actually change the fundamentals, including but not limited to the efficiency and productivity, of our economy and its companies?
3. Most importantly, while agencies such as the EPF are under the purview of the Finance Minister, he has no basis to direct the EPF to make particular investment decisions. EPF investments is led by an investment panel, headed by Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Samsudin b. Osman and they should be given the leeway to decide what they regard as the best investment approach to protect and grow the hard-earned savings of ordinary Malaysians.

As a trustee of members’ savings, the EPF must discharge our responsibility with sincerity, honesty and trustworthiness at all times. The investment panel’s key objective should be looking at making investments at best prices to maximise returns, instead of investing for the purposes of supporting the stock market which will inevitably put at risk the EPF contributors’ interest.

Since our financial institutions have been declared to be sound and financially stable, and hence not susceptible to the current global financial crisis, the Government should let the market dictate its stock prices, while the Government focuses its spending areas which will generate high economic multipliers for the economy.

Tony Pua Kiam Wee
DAP National Publicity Secretary
MP for Petaling Jaya Utara

Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Wednesday, 8 October 2008

It is exactly seven months ago this day that the March 8 political tsunami struck the Malaysian political landscape, resulting in today as D-Day for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – whether he will defend the Umno presidency.

Yesterday was a day of utter confusion with conflicting news throughout the day that Abdullah had been persuaded to “fight it out” including against his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, with all the weapons available to him to defend the posts of Umno President and Prime Minister.

The general consensus, however, is that “sanity will finally prevail” and Abdullah will succumb to the Umno Supreme Council pressures for an orchestrated five-month exit as Prime Minister by not contesting for the top Umno post.

If so, then the two most pertinent questions are:

1. Is it going to be an honourable or dishonourable exit for the fifth Prime Minister? and
2. Will the five-month succession interregnum pave the way for an end to the worsening multiple national crisis of confidence in the past seven months or whether it will plunge the country into a deeper rut and rot?

When he was asked on Monday what would be his focus in his remaining days as prime minister, regardless of when he decides to leave, Abdullah said he would use the time to make good on his promises to the rakyat.

He said: “There are uncompleted things, such as reforms I promised the rakyat.

“I will undertake them. Of course, I have to do it because what I promised, I will deliver.”

It is sad and pathetic to see Abdullah end his five-year premiership in a mirage - cocooned in total denial.

If Abdullah cannot deliver his many reform pledges when he was at the height of his power as a result of the greatest electoral victory and mandate ever won by any Prime Minister in half-a-century in March 2004, what could he achieve when he is being forced out of office after suffering the most ignominous electoral defeat in Umno and Barisan Nasional history?

It is a million times more difficult for Abdullah to deliver his reform pledges once he has announced his exit-plan today than when he won the landslide electoral mandate in the March 2004 general election.

But this could still be done, if Abdullah is prepared to “do the impossible” and use his last five months as Prime Minister to honour all the unfulfilled pledges and promises of the past five years – but this must be evident from today’s Cabinet meeting as well as the first day of the reconvened Parliament on Monday, October 13, 2008.

This will be an honourable exit for the fifth Prime Minister. It will be Abdullah’s tryst with destiny.

Can Abdullah embark on such an “impossible mission” in his last five months as Prime Minister, when there will be a de facto Prime Minister who will immediately and increasingly be more powerful than the de jure Prime Minister?

Lim Kit Siang
DAP Parliamentary leader
MP for Ipoh Timor

Press Statement by Teresa Kok in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 27 September 2008

I am deeply saddened and most perturbed upon hearing from my family first thing this morning that some criminal elements have thrown a molotov cocktail into the compound of my family residence where my parents and siblings reside at about 3 am today. Also found or thrown into the compound was a paper on which the following (message) worded “WOI TERESA BABI!!! LU JAGA SIKIT. JANGAN SUKA CARI PASAL … NANTI GUA BAKAR SAMA LU DENGAN LU PUNYA FAMILY, PAHAM!!! CIBAI LU TERESA KOK“.

Fortunately the petrol did not ignite and there was no fire damage and no one was hurt. The family very shaken and now fear for their safety.

I view this act as most despicable and criminal which is designed to instill fear, anxiety in me and to prevent me into performing my duties as an elected representative. Inter alia, I also attribute this despicable act to certain media groups and blogs that have deliberately demonised and portrayed me as chauvinistic, anti Malay and anti Islam and they persisted in reporting similar fictitious and false stories, prior and after my arrest under the ISA on 12th September 08. This may have also stoked the contempt and hatred towards me and my family. I am deeply concerned about the personal safety of my family now.

I urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this and bring the culprits to face justice soonest otherwise public confidence in the security services may be severely undermined. Elected representatives will also be hampered and be intimidated from carrying out their legitimate duties unto their constituents.

Teresa Kok
Exco of Selangor State Government
MP for Seputeh and ADUN of Kinrara