Category: Lim Kit Siang Kini

LIMKITSIANG : In the spirit of “zero tolerance for corruption”

In the spirit of “zero tolerance for corruption”, all who had aided and abetted Najib in his kleptocratic rule must apologise to all Malaysians in the next three days if they are not to carry the cross of “enablers of Najib kleptocracy” into the new year. In the spirit of “zero tolerance for corruption”, which must be the trademark of the “New Malaysia” after the historic May 9, 2018 decision for a peaceful and democratic transition of power in Putrajaya, all who had aided and abetted former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in his kleptocratic rule as illustrated by the monstrous 1MDB corruption and money-laundering scandal and the other 1MDB-like scandals in Felda, Felcra, Tabung Haji and MARA, must apologise to all Malaysians in the next three days if they are not to carry the cross of “enablers of Najib kleptocracy” into the new year.

Those in the frontline who aided and abetted the monstrous crimes of kleptocracy in the Najib premiership, the enablers of Najib kleptocracy, are foremost the Ministers in the Najib Cabinet, the Members of Parliament in particular the Speaker of the 13th Parliament who helped Najib to suppress the 1MDB scandal and Najib kleptocracy from being debated in Parliament, and the Barisan Nasional political leaders who had received 1MDB funds from Najib. They have three days to make a clean breast of their past as enablers of Najib kleptocracy, and to declare and demonstrate their regret and contrition for not standing up to the crime of global kleptocracy and failing the nation – or they will carry the cross of being enablers of Najib kleptocracy into the new year.

It is a terrible indictment on what is left of the three Barisan Nasional coalition of UMNO, MCA and MIC as well their former political parties that in the past seven months – whether in Parliament or outside – none of them had conceded that the 1MDB scandal was a national catastrophe or repudiated Najib for the monstrous kleptocracy when he was Prime Minister, and to express their apologies and contrition for their role as “enablers” of Najib kleptocracy. Everyone of the BN MPs, including MCA’s sole MP Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, have been tarred with Najib’s kleptocracy, and they have not repented. The same applies to the PAS MPs as well. In fact, in during the 50-day meetings this year of the 14th Parliament, not a single one of the Barisan Nasional MPs whether UMNO, MCA or MIC – and this includes the PAS MPs – had given a speech on the 1MDB corruption scandal, although it is the single biggest global scandal confronting Malaysia.

Can these Opposition MPs explain why? Furthermore, all political parties and politicians, including MPs of the 13th Parliament, should return to public coffers any funding and donations they had received from the 1MDB scandal.

Why DAP will not become a second MCA

I was informed of a FaceBook post about me on the FaceBook of Tan Sri Clement Hii, as follows: “FOR A BETTER MALAYSIA, HE NEVER GAVE UP.” “He got agitated when I mentioned people might see DAP as another MCA if it didn’t continue to push for its reform agenda now that it’s part of the ruling coalition. That’s vintage Lim Kit Siang – he won’t want anything to do with the previous regime which he sees as kleptocratic and spineless. I first met him in the 70s when I was a budding journalist, and many decades later, I find that he hasn’t wavered in his fight for a better and fairer country.

“Lesser mortals would have given up – Kit Siang spoke up persistently against corruption and other wrongs, was consistently persecuted and twice jailed during his 50 years in the opposition. The DAP advisor declined to join Tun Dr. Mahathir’s cabinet, to give way to the younger leaders. If previous mudslingings were to be believed, he would have been appointed PM by now, and gotten a bilion ringgit bribe, Truth be told, Malaysians have a lot to thank this gentleman for making the dawn of a New Malaysia possible.” I thank Clement Hii for the compliment, but it bears emphasizing that the DAP has no intention and will never become MCA2. There are many reasons why DAP will never become MCA2, but I will cite only five:

Firstly, DAP is a multi-racial party dedicated to the wellbeing and welfare of all races to be found in Malaysia, and not mono-ethnic as in the case of MCA. We represent all Malaysians, whether Chinese, Malays, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli while the MCA represents or claims to represent only the Chinese in Malaysia. Secondly, DAP leaders fight for the rights and interests of all racial groups so long as they are Malaysians, while MCA fights or claims to fight for the rights and interests of only the Chinese in Malaysia. This is why DAP Secretary-General and currently the Finance Minister, Lim Guan Eng, sacrificed his political rights in the defence of the rights and dignity of an underaged Malay girl in the nineties, when he was disqualified as a Member of Parliament and jailed in Kajang Prison for a year and disenfranchised of his right to vote and to hold elective for five years. Lim Guan Eng is the only case of a Malaysian political leader who had crossed racial and religious lines to sacrifice himself.

Third reason is DAP want its leaders and members to be in politics to serve the nation and not to serve themselves, whether for wealth, titles or position. The fourth reason is DAP leaders are in government because we can play an important role to build a New Malaysia and save Malaysia from becoming a sham democracy, a kakistocracy, a failed state and a global kleptocracy. DAP leaders, whether in government or outside, will have no hesitation in leaving the coalition government if the objective of a New Malaysia is abandoned. DAP leaders will never be as spineless as MCA leaders.

Lastly, DAP politics of multi-racialism is the only way to build a united and successful Malaysia, for the continuation of the politics of mono-ethnicity can never unite a plural Malaysia.

Lim Kit Siang : 2018 Christmas Message

2018 Christmas Message: Let’s build Malaysia into one of the world’s top nations where Malaysians can accept and celebrate the diversities of faiths, and the peace, tolerance and co-existence among the diverse religions in the country. Merry Christmas to all Christians in Malaysia. Let us celebrate this first Christmas after the historic decision on May 9, 2018 to bring about a peaceful and democratic transition of power in the six decades of Malaysian history.

Let us unite to Save Malaysia from a global kleptocracy by becoming a leading nation in integrity. Even better , let us fulfil our destiny to be a world top-class nation in various fields of human endeavour, including becoming among the world’s top nations where there is peace, tolerance, acceptance and co-existence among the diverse religions in the country. The leader of an opposition party has warned Muslims not to post Christmas greetings on Facebook because there should not be any acknowledgement of the Christian religion in the country. He could not be more cock-eyed, extremist and unMalaysian, as Malaysians must celebrate the diversity of races, languages, religions and cultures in Malaysia and leverage on the assets and best qualities of this diversity to be the foundation for Malaysia’s greatness.

We must not deny or detract in any way from the rich diversity of races, languages, religions and cultures in Malaysia. The Sultan of Johore Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s Christmas greeting of a Merry Christmas to all Christians, wishing all Johoreans celebrating Christmas “love, joy and peace and a wonderful time with families and friends” is in the full spirit of a New Malaysia which is inclusive and all-encompassing of the diversity of races, languages, religions and cultures which have become Malaysia’s precious heritage. In his official Facebook posting, Sultan Ibrahim’s festive message was with a framed picture of him and Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah. Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah are models for Malaysians on the need for religious and cultural tolerance, understanding and acceptance among Malaysians.

All the great religions in the world share common values of love, truth, justice, compassion and community and we should celebrate the diversity of faiths in Malaysia with their respective Golden Rules, instead of inciting distrust, hate and fear among Malaysians with diverse faiths. It is shocking that the very people who are sowing distrust, hate and fear among Malaysians of diverse faiths are proposing a new political bloc to form an “unity government” as a viable political platform that could offer stability. But these people talk “unity” but perpetrate disunity among Malaysians to serve their petty political ends while claiming to embrace political Islam – yet they have no objection when Malaysia was condemned by the whole world as a “global kleptocracy”!

They are quite good in “building castles in the air”, the latest being that the Pakatan Harapan government would only last five years. I agree with the Bersatu President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that these people will forever be the Opposition. In my 2018 Christmas Message, let me therefore make the call: Let us build Malaysia into one of the world’s top nations where Malaysians can accept and celebrate their diversities of faiths, and the peace, tolerance and co-existence among the diverse religions in the country!

Adib Mohd Kassim is not just a Malay hero, but a hero for all Malaysians

Adib Mohd Kassim is not just a Malay hero, but a hero for all Malaysians and must be honoured as an inspiration to build a new and united Malaysia which can be a world showcase of a successful plural nation. I was in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province in China, when I heard the sad news of the death of firefighter Adib Mohd Kassim, and I tweeted as follows: “Shocked over Adib’s death. He is a Malaysian patriot and hero. His perpetrators must be punished. Let Adib be our inspiration.”

Adib is not just a Malay hero, but a hero for all Malaysians and must be honoured as an inspiration to build a new and united Malaysia which can be a world showcase of a successful plural nation. It will be great if an annual Adib Award can be started on next year’s National Day to honour Adib’s services and sacrifices as an inspiration for Malaysians to dedicate themselves to the building of a new and united Malaysian nation which is also a showcase to the world of inter-racial, inter-religious and inter-cultural harmony, tolerance and understanding in a plural society. There are those who want to use Adib’s death to incite racial and religious tensions and unrest in the country.

I do not think this is what Adib would want to see, as he would want to dedicate his life to the building of a united, harmonious, successful and prosperous multiracial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysian nation.(Media statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang)

My 2018 Christmas Wish

My 2018 Christmas Wish – that Pakatan Harapan can win the next few general elections to accomplish the building of a New Malaysia with the resolution of the inter-party and intra-party PH problems, differences and conflicts. I am making a Christmas wish today – that Pakatan Harapan will grow from strength to strength to win the next few general elections so as to accomplish the building of a New Malaysia with the resolution of the various inter-party and intra-party Pakatan Harapan problems, differences and conflicts.

I am not a Christian but that does not prevent me from making a Christmas wish, just as my making a Hari Raya wish would not make me a Muslim. One reason for making this Christmas wish is to elaborate on what I said in Luoyang, Henan last Thursday, where I responded to a FaceBook post from Tan Sri Clement Hii to explain why DAP would never become a MCA2. The five reasons I had given why DAP will never become MCA2 include DAP leaders fighting for the rights and interests of all racial groups so long as they are Malaysians, while MCA fights or claims to fight for the rights and interests of only the Chinese in Malaysia; that DAP want its leaders and members to be in politics to serve the nation and not to serve themselves, whether for wealth, titles or position; and that DAP politics of multi-racialism is the only way to build a united and successful Malaysia unlike the mono-ethnic politics of MCA.

My statement that in such circumstances, the DAP would have no hesitation in leaving the coalition government if the objective of a New Malaysia is abandoned as DAP leaders will never be as spineless as MCA leaders sent the Opposition into sixes and sevens, feeding on their fevered imagination. On the one hand, there was the attempt to provoke the DAP to quit Pakatan Harapan with one PAS leader alleging that I was “bluffing” about quitting the government, and on the other hand, a MCA leader urging the DAP to “grow a backbone” to exit the government. Most comical of all was the statement by a MCA leader professing hurt at my statement that the DAP will never become a MCA2, “hitting the jackpot” without realising it in claiming that DAP did not qualify to be MCA2.

One reason why the national education curriculum needs an overhaul is because we are producing political leaders who do not understand a simple statement – reading what is not there at all. I never said that DAP was quitting Pakatan Harapan. All I said was that the DAP would not be like the MCA leaders who were most famous for being spineless, and that DAP leaders, whether in government or outside, would have no hesitation in leaving the coalition government if the objective of a New Malaysia is abandoned. I have said many times that a New Malaysia is struggling to be born, and it will require the contribution and participation of Malaysians, both inside the country and among the Malaysian Diaspora worldwide, to ensure that this chance to re-set nation building policies is not wasted or does not fail, for there is not going to be another chance.

It will take more than 100 days, two years or even one five-year general election cycle to take its full shape and form and might even take a decade or two. This is why all Malaysians must develop a Big Picture and Long-term Vision perspectives and for my Christmas wish today that Pakatan Harapan will grow from strength to strength to win the next few general elections so as to accomplish the building of a New Malaysia with the resolution of the various inter-party and intra-party Pakatan Harapan problems, differences and conflicts. Malaysians want a New Malaysia which is united, democratic, just, progressive and prosperous.

Malaysians want a new Malaysia which is a world top class nation which is capable of leveraging on the best of the diverse races, languages, cultures and civilisations that meet in confluence in Malaysia so as to gain international respect and admiration as a successful nation which leads the world in integrity, human excellence and achievement, and not scorned as a global kleptocracy hurtling towards a kakistocracy and failed and rogue state status.