MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai should apologise and seek forgiveness from the Chinese community on behalf of the 4 MCA Ministers being responsible in supporting Operasi Lallang in 1987, if he continues to insist that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is culpable by virtue of his cabinet position and the principle of collective responsibility. After all there were 4 MCA Ministers in Cabinet who should also assume collective Cabinet responsibility and MCA had never apologised for Operasi Lallang.
Liow had continued to pin the blame on Anwar even though Anwar was never the Home Minister who signed the Internal Security Act’s(ISA) detention orders. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamd had recently admitted he was responsible as he had signed the detention orders for Operasi Lallang where 106 opposition leaders and NGOs were arrested. As a former ISA detainee under Operasi Lallang, I can vouch that it was Mahathir and not Anwar who signed the detention order for 18 months from 27 October 1987 till my release on 19 April 1989.
Clearly Liow is trying to distract attention from MCA’s own failures to fight for justice and dignity for Malaysians and the Chinese community as well as hide the shame of MCA abandoning their principle of not accepting government posts for performing badly in the last general elections. It was MCA’s support for Operasi Lallang and turning its back on justice and human dignity that caused MCA to lose the support and respect of Chinese voters.
Wrongly blaming Anwar would not redeem MCA and earn back that support principally because Anwar has decided to fight the oppression, injustice and corruption of BN whilst MCA continues to be a slave to corrupt extremists and racists merely to enjoy the perks and privileges of Ministerial office.
DAP believes the Chinese community will continue to support Anwar because he dared to stand up and fight BN and UMNO to seek human dignity and justice for all whilst MCA was rejected because MCA dared not do so. MCA should learn from the bitter lessons of Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy, who resigned after 8 painful and fruitless months as Deputy Minister because P. Waythamoorthy realised that he was deceived by UMNO’s lies and refused to be a slave to those who discriminate and divide Malaysians.
MCA is rushing to go back into government at the same time that P Waythamoorthy is resigning when it is clear that Ministerial posts under UMNO is meaningless as it will not make any difference in policy nor in bringing change that will improve the livelihood of the people.