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Najib Can Only Convince The Public That ASLI Was Not Pressured To Back Down And Retract The Report That The Bumi Corporate Equity Ownership Based On Market Value Is 45% When UMNO Stop Making Threats Of Inciting Public Anger But Set Up An Independent Expert Panel Verifying ASLI’s Findings To Seeking Truth From Facts.


Press Statement

by Lim Guan Eng



(Melaka,  Saturday): Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Najib Tun Razak can only convince the public that Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) was not pressured to back down and retract the report when UMNO stop making threats of inciting public anger but set up an independent expert panel verifying ASLI’s findings to seek truth from facts and not pervert truth into lies. To date no rational evidence has been provided to support the government’s 18.9% bumi equity ownership based on par value is the correct methodology used or debunk Dr Lim Teck Ghee’s findings that the bumi corporate equity ownership based on market value is 45%. Can the public be blamed for still believing that ASLI’s withdrawal and apology was anything less than voluntary?

 

Dr Lim Teck Ghee had resigned in protest against ASLI President Mirzan Mahathir publicly apologizing and withdrawing the report and to stand by his research findings.  How can the public be convinced that Mirzan publicly apologized and withdrew the report in a voluntary manner when Mirzan failed to give any academic rational, scholarly research or empirical proof that Dr Lim was wrong? Further Mirzan can not explain why it took both the government and him 8 months to withdraw a report submitted to the government in February 2006. Mirzan was also immature and unprofessional in saying that Dr Lim is free to resign based on principle rather than on any other agenda when Dr Lim has no other agenda except pure research.

 

Does this means that both Mirzan and government leaders are sleeping on the job and are not serious in their respective duties in ASLI and the government. Clearly the threats by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib and UMNO Vice-President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin  that the report incited public anger, seditious and “rubbish” was sufficient reason to withdraw the report even though the report could not be repudiated by facts. Perhaps all these leaders should look at the academic standing of Dr Lim and compare it with their own before making such baseless and irresponsible threats.

 

MCA MPs Should Stop Unprincipled And Immoral Politics Of Saying One Thing Publicly But Doing Another Inside Government.

The government should heed warningsthat the government has sent a wrong signal in its heavy-handed action against an academic of Dr Lim’s international standing. The wrong signal seems to be that dissent is not to be tolerated and honest pursuit of knowledge discouraged. This is indeed a sad development and seems at odd with the government’s professed aim of wanting to make our country a more open, transparent and liberal society.

 

DAP regrets that not a single MCA, SUPP, MIC or Gerakan Minister shares Dr Toh’s views that the government needs to be more transparent and accountable in providing information data and methodology used to compute the bumiputera equity ownership share. The Cabinet decision accepting Mirzan’s unprincipled position of apologizing and retraction without any proof is supported by all Ministers. Datuk Ong Ka Ting, Datuk Lim Keng Yaik and Datuk S. Samy Vellu should explain why they backed Mirzan instead of Dr Lim.

 

Until these Ministers explain their reasons for Cabinet’s decision to accept Mirzan’s apology and retraction, they should stop the hypocritical actions of MCA Youth, MCA MPs and wakil rakyats who now try to seek justice for Dr Lim. Not only does this shows MCA wakil rakyats know too late but also their unprincipled and immoral sandiwara politics of saying one thing publicly but doing the opposite inside government.

(14/10/2006)


* Lim Guan Eng,  Secretary-General of DAP

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