“Determined vote for DAP” to overcome the three national problems of no justice for all, rising inflation and high crime rate by establishing democracy and good governance
_____________________
Speech at DAP Melaka dinner
by Lim Guan Eng
___________________________
(Melaka,
Monday):
Tonight’s theme of
“Determined Vote For DAP” is
appropriate if Malaysians
are to overcome the three
key national problems of no
justice for all, rising
inflation and a high crime
rate. Only by establishing
democracy and good
governance can we ensure
that voices of all
Malaysians are heard, their
welfare taken care of and
their rights respected.
How serious the
double-standards in the
application of laws can be
seen with lawyers resorting
to protesting in the streets
to seek justice. Police
contempt for lawyers is not
limited to arresting them in
the streets but also in
police stations when they
turn up to inquire about
their clients.
Public confidence in the
independence in the
judiciary is at an all-time
low following the
revelations in the Lingam
tape showing a senior lawyer
brokering the appointment of
Chief Justice Tun Ahmad
Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim;
and parachuting UMNO lawyer
Tan Sri Zaki Azmi into the
Federal Court 3 months ago
and then promoting Zaki over
many other senior judges as
the Court of Appeal
president recently.
So controversial was Zaki’s
fast-track promotion that
Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department Datuk
Seri Nazri Aziz had to
defend Zaki, that except for
being Umno’s Disciplinary
(Technical) Committee
chairman and Selection
Committee secretary, the
62-year-old did not hold any
other post in the party.
Nazri’s logic only shows how
unqualified Zaki is to hold
the post of Court of Appeal
President when Zaki is
tainted by his political
association and even in UMNO
merely qualified to hold a
minor post. Clearly by
appointing a mere UMNO
functionary the judiciary is
neither independent or
appointed by the King but
solely by UMNO.
Attorney-General Tan Sri
Abdul Gani Patail’s personal
intervention in several
cases of illegal assembly
and obstructing government
officers from performing
their duties shows how
politicized he has become in
behaving as an agent of UMNO
more than a defender of
public safety and upholder
of laws. Why has the AG
refused to personally lead
the prosecution in high
profile cases such as the
corruption trial of former
Perwaja General Manager Tan
Sri Eric Chia or the
sensational Altatunya murder
trial by a close aide of
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Najib Tun Razak?
By asking the court to
refuse bail for lawyer
Edmond Bon who faces a
charge that carries a
sentence of only three
months in jail with a fine
of not more than RM1,000, or
both, Tan Sri Gani Patail is
demonstrating the qualities
of an ordinary “kampong”
non-lawyer prosecuting
officer and not as the
Attorney-General. Clearly
there is no longer public
interest but political
victimisation to intimidate
and harass those who dare to
oppose and differ from UMNO.
Only with democracy can we
restore rule of law, end
selective prosecution and
ensure justice for all. Only
good governance and
democracy, can Malaysians
get the good government they
deserve to address the high
crime rate which increased
by 26% from 157,459 crimes
in 2005 to 198,622 crimes in
2006. Worse is the number of
rape cases of women which
increased by 100% from 4.6
rapes a day in 2003 when
Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took
over as Prime Minister to 9
rapes a day now.
And the economic hardship
brought about rising
inflation which the
government ignores by
insisting that inflation is
only 2% when prices of basic
commodities are running at
more than 20%. The
government must identify
that the causes of inflation
stem from corruption and
rise in fuel prices and
basic commodities
internationally. Only by
wiping out corruption and
sharing in the oil profits
of Petronas, can we help
Malaysians maintain their
standard of living.
DAP suggests that the
government share the
burgeoning oil profits of
Petronas with Malaysians by
giving a yearly bonus of RM
3,000 to individuals earning
less than RM 3,000 a month
and a yearly RM 6,000 to
families with a combined
monthly income of less than
RM 6,000. This will cost
less than RM 40 billion
which is equal to the yearly
subsidies spent by the
government and also less
than half of the yearly
profits of Petronas.
Penny Wong should be a
Malaysian Minister and not
an Australian Minister
Malaysians are proud that
Penny Wong is the first
Malaysian and Sabah-born to
be appointed as a Minister
in Australia. But I feel sad
that we are losing such
talents when she should be a
Malaysian Minister and not
have to go to Australia to
seek equal opportunities and
recognition for her
abilities. Clearly there is
no room for qualified
Malaysians when
“kulitfication” is more
important than capability.
But can we blame talented
and capable Malaysians
leaving overseas when we do
not respect merit,
standards, quality or
competition. Witness the
deterioration in our
universities in the World
Top 200 University rankings
such as UKM which slipped
from 185th in 2006 to 309th
this year, University Malaya
from 192nd to 246th and USM
from 277th to 307th this
year. And the BN government
still refuses to recognize
university degrees from
Chinese or Taiwanese
universities, amongst the
top 100 in the world, in
preference for dubious
degrees from Indonesia,
Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Good governance is not just
about an independent
judiciary and respect of
rule of law, it is about
having a free press, clean
elections, accountability
and transparency, investing
in quality education as well
as respecting the dignity of
Malaysians by ensuring
political equality, equal
economic opportunity and
socio-economic justice. That
is why only a stronger DAP
can force the BN government
to review its policies and
listen to the people.
(10/12/2007)
* Lim Guan
Eng,
Secretary-General of DAP |