Speech by Lim Kit Siang on the Whistleblowers Protection Bill in Parliament on Tuesday, 20^th April 2010 at 10 pm: 

Condemns “Alcohol” attack on Zaid Ibrahim – Pakatan Rakyat candidate in Hulu Selangor by-election

Section 6 provides that disclosure of improper conduct may be made against a member of Parliament or State Legislative Assembly.

Just received this Star news flash: “20/4 Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin pleaded guilty at the Gombak Timor Lower Syariah court to committing polygamy without the court’s consent.”

Does this fall within the “improper conduct” in Section 6?

Do the “drinking” habits of MPs fall under this term, as this has become the weapon used by Barisan Nasional in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign in its “alcohol” attack on the Pakatan Rakyat candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, calling him “kaki botol”.

I challenge UMNO and Muslim Ministers, in particular the Umno Youth leader and MP for Rembau Khairy Jamaluddin, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak whether they dare to declare that they had never drank alcohol in their youth in the past!

If having had drinks in the past incapacitates one from holding office, then we will lose half the Cabinet as well as the Malaysian Ambassador to the United States and we will need to have a by-election in Rompin.

Why is UMNO and Barisan Nasional so desperate in the Hulu Selangor by-election that they have to resort to such gutter politics?

Let us have higher standards in politics and elections, as it is the avenue to serve to peope and nation and not to indulge in personal attacks and character-assassinations.

We can do the same but we refuse to do so. Zaid has regretted his drinks in his youth. But he has gone one step further to declare that he will not follow the gutter politics of the Umno leaders.

This is what Zaid said:

“I won't name those leaders in Umno who had done the same... (drinking alcohol). I'm not like Umno. I'm a human (being), so I think it is better for me (not to retaliate). I know that some of my friends there were womanisers, went to casino and other stuff that other rich people would do.

"But I won't name any of them because I have more pedigree than them and my friends in the Cabinet won't have to worry about that."

Let us raise a higher standards in politics and electioneering. As example, DAP has instructed our campaigners not to touch on the Chua Soi Lek tape subject.

It is also an insult to use “kaki botol” for those who have social drinks, as this would be condemning Chinese, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans who drink but are not drunkards.

I want to ask why the Bill mentions MPs and State Assemblymen but no reference to Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Ministers and Mentris Besar as if they are exempted from this provision.

This is not acceptable as Malaysians are aware of the rampant corruption at the state government level.

Let me quote from a Star report in February 2001 about corruption in Sabah:

“Ask politicians and journalists about the rotation system, and they will jokingly say: ‘One CM took the hills, one gave away the sea, one signed off the valleys and another bet on watery deals.’

And now, according the DAP Sabah State Assemblyman for Sri Tanjong, there is now a “vacuum cleaner” in Sabah cleaning up everything in the state!

Section 6(2)(b) provides that there is no statute of limitations for “improper conduct” under this Bill, i.e. “although the improper conduct has occurred before the commencement of this Act”.

Are the authorities concerned therefore going to investigate into the past “improper misconduct” of Ministers and political leaders, like whether Umno Cabinet Ministers had drank alcohol in the past?

Similarly, will the “improper conduct” of the Chief Justice who had previously deceived the authorities by burning the original marriage certificate of his first marriage in order to illegally register his second marriage going to be re-opened, investigated and action taken?

I must protest that in the debate on such an important bill, MPs are limited to 10 minutes for each speaker which does not demonstrate that there is real political will on the part of the Barisan Nasional government to stamp out corruption by creating a new environment of openness, accountability and transparency.

I have material to talk for two hours but in view of the time restriction, I will touch on the main headings of some of these subjects:

(1) RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal

MACC – why no Anti-Corruption Action (AC) action on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal although the first police report was lodged six years ago?

Why the Chief Secretary failed to take action although directed by the Cabinet in July 2007 against those responsible for the PKFZ scandal, in particular the unlawful issue of four Letters of Support by two Transport Ministers, Liong Sik and Kong Choy?

Yesterday, Sun’s front-page headline was: “Ex-PKA directors off the hook” (Sun)

No “big fish” had been caught by MACC and there is no response to my call in Parliament that the government suspend its RM770 million repayment this year to PKFZ turnkey contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd (KDSB) which had raised bonds under misrepresentation and irregular circumstances – until the Cabinet Task Force under Chief Secretary had come out with satisfactory solution.

(3) There are tons of information for action by MACC on the Internet. For instance, MCA Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong is accused on internet to have 34 accounts at Maybank and 2 accounts at RHB – with RM4.2 million in cold hard cash in these accounts. I do not know whether there is any truth in this but there must be proper explanation and accountability, both by the MACC and Wee himself.

(4) Asia Sentinel’s latest report “Malaysia’s submarine scandal surfaces in France” – why is there silence in Malaysia.

We are debating the Whistleblowers Protection Bill but the two Malaysian Whistleblowers Par Excellence are on the run outside the country – firstly, Raja Petra Kamaruddin who has tons of materials and information on his Malaysia Today blogsite and Private Investigator Balasubramaniam about the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Sharriibuu.

If the government is serious in wanting to fight corruption and to encourage whistleblowing, it should welcome and co-operate with these two Whistleblowers Par Excellence instead of allowing an inclement environment which have driven into exile overseas.

Have MACC taken the materials exposed and whistle-blown in RPK’s Malaysia-Today seriously by conducting full and proper investigations?

In ending my speech, I must protest at the short time allowed to speak in the debate on this bill.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh Timor