Is EPF withholding
announcement of lowest dividend in 40 years until Iraq war so as to attract
minimum adverse reactions from the 10.3 million EPF contributors and to
distract demand for a new policy of EPF accountability, transparency and
efficacy?
Speech
- at
the Memorial Night "Ahmad Nor: Symbol of Bangsa Malaysia" in memory of Ahmad
Nor (1943-2003)
by Lim Kit Siang
(Petaling Jaya,
Wednesday):
We are gathered here, Ahmad Nor's
family, DAP leaders and activists, political and trade union friends like
Datuk Siva Subramaniam, CUEPACS President, G. Rajasekaran, MTUC
Secretary-General, Mohamad Sabu, PAS MP for Kuala Kedah, Khalid Jaffar,
Parti Keadilan Nasional Supreme Council member, Dr. Mohd Nasir, Protem
Chairman of Parti Sosialis Malaysia to honour and pay tribute to a great
political and trade union leader, the symbol of Bangsa Malaysia decades
ahead of the Vision 2020 objective, who passed away on 11th February 2003.
Sixteen years ago in 1986, I persuaded Ahmad Nor to join the DAP. We had
kept our compact to join forces to work for a new paradigm in Malaysian
politics, to move the country away from race-based to a more issues-oriented
politics.
We had walked together in our common struggle for justice, freedom,
democracy and good governance. We have had our ups and downs, joys and
sorrows, moments of inspiration and periods of depression, but undeterred we
had battled on against a whole array of forces set against us.
His election as DAP Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru in 1990 was the
apotheosis of his political career. In his five years in Parliament, Ahmad
Nor was the voice of the worker, the down-trodden, the forgotten and the
marginalized - and the absence of this voice for the worker and the common
man and woman is sorely felt in Parliament today.
If Ahmad Nor is still with us today, he would undoubtedly be in the
forefront to take up the issues of unjust price increases, whether the
repeated upward price revision for petrol or the recent hike of telephone
rates, corruption, triad politics, human rights, the rule of law and all
concerns of workers which had always been closest to his heart.
One of Ahmad Nor's favourite topics is the Employees' Provident Fund, and he
was the DAP's spokesman on EPF and all labour affairs in Parliament.
In the past, EPF dividend for the previous year had always been announced
before the end of February. It is now in the third week of March, and yet
the EPF dividend for last year has not been announced.
What is the reason for the inordinate delay in the announcement of the EPF
dividend, expected to be the lowest dividend in 40 years of below 5% for
2002? Is it to wait until the American war against Iraq so as to attract
minimum adverse reactions from the 10.3 million EPF contributors and to
distract demand for a new policy of EPF accountability, transparency and
efficacy?
If Ahmad Nor is with us, he would be the leading spokesman to articulate the
concerns of the 10.3 million EPF contributors about the efficiency,
competence, accountability, transparency and integrity of EPF stewardship of
RM200 billion of their life savings.
What is the best way to honour and pay tribute to Ahmad Nor. I believe there
is no better way to remember Ahmad Nor than to keep his spirit and his
struggle for justice, freedom and fair play alive.
Siva has just told us that CUPACS would be naming its IT Hall after Ahmad
Nor. DAP should honour Ahmad Nor by launching a series of "The Spirit of
Ahmad Nor Lives" forums and discussions to keep issues close to Ahmad Nor in
the very forefront of national consciousness.
Acting Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently gave a
brilliant diagnosis of the Malaysian disease, which he described the "First
World Infrastructure, Third World Mentality" Malaysian malaise.
Ahmad Nor would have been most concerned about such a Malaysian malaise and
would have dedicated himself together with his political, trade union and
NGO friends to eradicate such a malaise.
May be, the "Spirit of Ahmad Nor Lives" series of forums can focus on the
"First World Infrastructure, Third World Mentality" malaise. It would be
good if this Ahmad Nor series of forums could be launched to coincide with
the 2003 Health Day on April 7, which is dedicated to the theme "Healthy
Environments for Children" - a most ironic theme for Malaysia, as children
have been the chief victims and casualties in the worst dengue epidemic in
the nation's history, which is still raging unchecked, with the death toll
exceeding the century figure.
Ahmad has left us, called away by the Maker. But we will continue to soldier
on to keep alive his spirit, struggle and ideals.
(19/3/2003)
*
Lim Kit Siang, DAP National
Chairman
|
http://dapmalaysia.org