Media statement by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 6^th March 2011: 

Why Chua Soi Lek dare not declare that Ling and Chan were innocent and that they are victims of selective prosecution by Attorney-General?

Just saw the unusual Merlimau and Kerdau double by-election polling day statement by MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek, which is reported by The Malaysian Insider under the headline “Dr. Chua: Kit Siang using PKFZ as vote bait”.

Congratulations! The MCA President has issued a statement which even MCA leaders and members don’t believe, let alone the Malaysian people at large.

I am not interested in trading accusations.

What is obvious is that Chua continues to avoid the issues raised by the corruption charges preferred against the former No. 1 and No. 2 of MCA when they were Transport Ministers in connection with the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, including:

Firstly, why the MCA President dare not declare that the MCA and in particular the MCA leadership are convinced that the two former top MCA leaders were innocent of the corruption charges made against Ling and Chan in connection with the PKFZ scandal?

Secondly, why he dare not declare that Ling and Chan are victims of selective prosecution by the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Gani Patail, when no other political personalities particularly from UMNO, have been charged for the same PKFZ scandal?

Or is Chua seriously suggesting that if he declares that Ling and Chan are innocent of the corruption charges, and that he is confident that their corruption trials will clear them of all charges of corrupt practices, he would be interfering in the process of the judicial system?

Clearly Chua has very poor legal as well as political advisers – as in believing that these questions are only pertinent to the Merlimau and Kerdau by-elections!

Or are there anyone in the MCA leadership who think that both Ling and Chan should have been charged with more serious offences, as those recommended by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, in the PKFZ scandal – apart from hauling the court all political personalities including from UMNO involved in the RM12.5 billion “scandal of scandals”?

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