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We call on the Malaysian Government to present a White Paper on terrorist activities including the Hambali detention as a basis for debate on the effective methods to prevent and eradicate terrorism in the country. Would the shortage of police personnel affect the effectiveness of the preventive measures? Speech - Kuala Lumpur DAP 30th Ordinary Convention by Dr Tan Seng Giaw (Kuala Lumpur, Sunday): We feel that the Malaysian Government should present a White Paper on the true state of terrorist activities in the country. On 11 August, 2003, Hambali or Riduan Isamuddin was detained in Thailand. He is alleged to be a mastermind in the Bali and Jakarta bombings. The United States is having him. Other countries want him. Hambali’s wife is Malaysian. The Special Branch has records of the terrorist and his family. To what extent has Hambali and Jemaah Islamiah infiltrated this country? The Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Badawi has said that Malaysia has not taken part in the detention of Hambali. But, the Inspector-General of Police indicates that Malaysia has given information. What has happened? We have submitted a motion to the Budget Session of Parliament next month, proposing a debate on the state of terrorist activities in the country, including Jemaah Islamiah (Hambali) and Al Qaeda, so that the people will know the truth. We must work together to get rid of terrorism. Quintessence We have achieved Merdeka (Independence) for 46 years. We put up our national flag (Jalur Gemilang) to mark the National Day. We would like to remind all Malaysians that 46 years ago, our forefathers laid the bedrock of the Federal Constitution, the quintessence of which is parliamentary democracy, disallowing Islamic State. I last met the Father of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman in Mersing when he went there to campaign for Semangat 47 in his wheelchair before he past away. He spoke on the quintessence. Tunku went out of his ways to reiterate that this country should not be turned into an Islamic State in his birthday party. What our forefathers meant by parliamentary democracy is the separation of powers, that is, the independence of the legislature (Parliament), the Judiciary (the Courts) and the Executive (the Government). The Government must respect Parliament. The media must highlight the supremacy of the Constitution and Parliament, reporting on what actually goes on in the legislature. Now, the media do not reflect the happenings in Parliament. As usual, two years after general elections, political parties especially UMNO say that elections are coming soon. The media help to generate heat on elections. This time, there has been so much jockeying for the number two post in UMNO as its President Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be going off in October this year, UMNO and other Barisan Nasional component parties have been preparing for the coming elections for many months Doing so is a way of restraining activities that annoy the leaders. Although we don’t know when the next general elections will be, we should impress the voters that opposition parties such as DAP are facing a tough time. This is due to many factors. BN has the money, the media and the machinery. The blackout in the media and the changing society make it even more difficult for opposition parties. The coming general elections are important because they provide an opportunity for the people to voice out whether they want to uphold parliamentary democracy against Islamic State in Malaysia (whether it be UMNO or PAS Islamic State) and whether they still want the BN to have absolute power, that is, more than two-thirds majority. As BN has the two-third majority, it can do whatever it wants, including the Prime Minister declaring Malaysia an Islamic State. In the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, the number of parliamentary seats increases from 10 to 11. DAP has always had candidates in half or more than half of the seats. In the coming general elections, we should logically contest in at least seven constituencies. Royal Commission on Corruption As the Prime Ministership will change hand soon, there are media reports on the exposure of corruptions (such as the media report on action being taken on the disappearance of RM 45 million from Koperasi Angkatan Tentera, Armed Forces Cooperative. The Kedah Menteri besar denied that the Anti-Corruption Agency investigated him for receiving RM123 million from a logging concessionaire. Meanwhile, it has taken ACA so many years to investigate the mess in Perwaja Steel. Similarly, ACA has yet to come out with a report on the investigation following a police report on MAS on events that went on before its reorganization.) DAP MPs, led by its Chairman Lim Kit Siang, called on the Deputy Director of ACA in Putrajaya on 30 July, 2003, discussing various issues and presenting relevant documents. Although it is difficult to produce witnesses and evidence on cases of corruption, ACA should improve its effectiveness. Corruption is rife in the country. It may not be as bad as some countries such as Argentina or Indonesia. But, it is bad. If the Government is serious in tackling the problem, then it should set up a Royal Commission of Enquiry on Corruption instead of just having media reports on suspected corruption like the Koperasi Angkatan Tentera before general elections and changing of the guards.. Supervisor Committee The City Hall, Kuala Lumpur (CHKL), has drafted a Structural Plan, aiming at making the city world-class. It contains 182 policy proposals. DAP agrees with making KL a world-class garden city of light. The four KL DAP MPs have put forward our views and proposals on the Plan to CHKL. As the Government has abolished local government elections for over 30 years, the city folks have been deprived of an important way of replacing city hall officers who have let them down. The Advisory Committee of CHKL has members who are appointed. How many advisors actually give advice? How many regard the 2003 budget of about RM1.8 billion as coming from their personal incomes? How many of them assume that CHKL projects are their private projects and hence entitling them to generate individual publicity to further their political career? We propose that the Government set up a supervisory committee, comprising all FT MPs, representatives from various strata of society and professionals to ensure that the structural plan is fully implemented.
(17/8/2003) * Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Vice-Chairman & Chairman of DAP Federal Territory |