Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And Penang Chief Minister Lim

Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town on 18.8.2010.

DAP Leaders Must Be Careful Not To Fall Into BN’s Trap Of Using
The UMNO-MCA “Sandiwara” Quarrel As An Excuse To Apply The
ISA Powers Of Detention Without Trial As Happened During Operasi
Lallang In 1987.

DAP leaders must be careful not to fall into BN’s trap of using the UMNO-
MCA “sandiwara” quarrel as an excuse to exercise the Internal Security
Act(ISA) powers of detention without trial. This “sandiwara” quarrel is a
chilling reprise of the events during 1987 when then Deputy President Datuk
Lee Kim Sai had a media war with then UMNO Youth President Datuk
Najib Tun Razak.

This verbal media war between MCA and UMNO was then used a pretext
by BN to initiate Operasi Lallang. However instead of detaining both
UMNO and MCA leaders involved, DAP, PAS and PSM leaders were
detained. Only Datuk Lee was asked to go on holiday to Australia.

Amongst those detained were Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang and myself. Pas
leaders detained were Mohd Sabu, MPs Datuk Mahfuz Omar and YB
Khalid Samad as well as PSM Selangor ADUN Dr Mohd Nasir. A total of
117 people were detained including 16 DAP MPs and State Assemblymen.

DAP leaders should not fall into the same trap that BN had set 23 years ago
to use the “sandiwara” quarrel between MCA and UMNO as an excuse to
use the ISA to distract attention from the real problems facing the country.

Otherwise DAP leaders will again be victimized and detained as happened

under the 1987 Operasi Lallang, whilst the MCA and UMNO leaders escape
unpunished. As BN faced challenges of rule of law, corruption, abuse of
powers and a declining economy, playing up racial sentiments is an easy
way of not being accountable for their failures.

SET UP ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO THE LOSS OF

RM 52 BILLION IN BUMI SHARES!

MCA, UMNO or even Perkasa would have no need to quarrel over the 30%
bumi corporate equity requirement if a Royal Commission of Inquiry is set
up to determine how RM 52 billion of shares meant for Malay/Bumis were
hijacked by the few BN leaders. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
had admitted that of the RM 54 billion in bumi shares given out since the
New Economic Policy(NEP) was launched in 1970, only RM 2 billion
remained in bumi hands.

Clearly the RM 52 billion worth of shares given to the few Malay/bumi

leaders were cashed out and sold off. Stern action and the full force of the
law should be unleashed at this open sabotage of the NEP. If the RM 52
billion worth of bumi shares still remained in bumi hands, then the 30%
bumi/Malay equity target under the NEP would have long been achieved.

What is surprising is the reluctance by MCA, UMNO or even Perkasa to

address this important issue of a monstrous hijack of RM 52 billion worth of
bumi shares. All of them have failed to call for action against these saboteurs
of the NEP. In Parliament all BN MPs have refused to support DAP’s call
for a Royal Commission Enquiry to act against these saboteurs and compel
them to cough up and return RM 52 billion back to the government to be
redistributed to poor Malays/bumis.

Of the RM 54 billion bumi/Malay shares given, how many ordinary Malays

got them? Every time this question is posed to ordinary Malays in the
streets, the answer is always no. All Malaysians know the the RM 54 billion
bumi shares are given to the cronies of UMNO or BN component parties.
BN’s refusal to take action against these NEP saboteurs and that they return
the RM 52 billion is an immoral act designed to protect their own cronies
who have profited shamelessly from a policy that is supposed to assist the
poor Malays/bumis.

LIM GUAN ENG