Machap: Rawang villagers and Youth4Change Sunday outing successful

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Media Statement
by Ronnie Liu
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(Kuala Lumpur, Monday) : I have just got back from Machap together with the Rawang villagers who were affected by the high tension transmission towers project. Some 40 of them went to Machap to air their grievances and plight. They were greatly disappointed by their local MCA elected representatives Chan Kong Choy and Tang See Hang because these MCA leaders sided with TNB instead of fighting for their rights.

They were also disappointed with MCA President Ong Ka Ting who refused to meet them on three occasions. Their representative Mr Goh gave a short speech at the DAP ceramah, outlining why the Machap people should not trust any MCA candidate or leader. The audience gave them a big applause; they were obviously sympathetic with the predicament of the Rawang villagers. They have held a pc with the help of Sdr Lim Guan Eng in the morning and managed to meet Health Minister Chua Soi Lek. Chua has promised to raise their matter in the Parliament on coming Wednesday but who would believe him? 

Meanwhile, some 60 students, activists and members of the SOS Damansara Action Committee led by Lee Khai Loon of Youth4Change have visited Machap besides holding a ceramah in Machap Baru. The ceramah attracted some 200 people. According to a Malaysiakini report, ministers like Mustapha and Fong Chan On have embarrassed themselves in front of the students and activists. MCA Youth leader Wee Ka Siong has once again avoided the SOS Damansara chairman Yoong Yoke Sang. Wee had earlier promised to help resolve their problem. The original SJKC Damansara has been shut down for more than seven years thanks to MCA leaders like Chew Mei Fun, Hon Choon Kam, Ling Liong Sik and Ong Ka Ting.We hope more coalitions and rights groups will send their teams to Machap to highlight their problems, giving BN leaders a taste of their own medicine.

I have visited Kg Air Pasir and Machap Baru in a house-to-house campaign with other DAP leaders like Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Thomas Su, Vincent Wu, Anthony Loke, M Kula, Fong Po Kuan, Goh Leong Sun, Apalasamy and our candidate Liou Chen Kuang. A good number of leaders and members from Selangor and Negri Sembilan were also with us.

I was very impressed by the “ Twin brothers of Bai Xiao”  who accompanied us to Machap. They have distributed SOS leaflets and talked to the Machap people from house to house, shop to shop tirelessly for hours under the sun. The response from the electorates was very encouraging.

Keadilan leaders have been helping the DAP over the last few days and more heavy-weights will be coming here for campaign. They include Mustafa Kamil and Dr Xavier Jeyakumar (9 April), Datin Wan Azizah, Fuziah Salleh and Ezam (10 April) and Anwar Ibrahim and Sivarasa Rasiah (11 April).

Polling is fixed on 12 April ( Thursday ), a move widely seen as discouraging young voters (who are working in Singapore and KL) from voting. Shame on you, SPR. You have once again demonstrated to Malaysians that you behave like the 15th component parties to the BN coalition.

(9/4/2007)