(Petaling Jaya, Tuesday): The Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, should defer moving his motion of confidence on Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed as Prime Minister in Parliament tomorrow so that there could be the fullest consultation with Opposition parties in order to present an unanimous Parliamentary stand on the outrageous and arrogant draft Wexler resolution as well as the Petronas issue under the United States Iran-Libya Sanctions Act.
In fact, the issue of the outrageous and arrogant Wexler resolution should be decoupled from the issue of Petronas and the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act - both of which should be separated from the issue of motion of confidence in the Prime Minister.
Anwar should present three separate motions to Parliament instead of lumping all the three separate issues into one omnibus motion.
Let the whole world know that all Malaysian MPs are united as one in our condemnation of the draft Wexler resolution with its outrageous arrogance in interfering with the domestic political affairs of Malaysia in demanding for the resignation of Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as Prime Minister.
The United States Government should also be told in no uncertain terms that its unilateral attempt to apply the United States Iran-Libya Sanctions Act 1996 to Petronas for its dealings in Iran is an intolerable violation of Malaysia's sovereignty.
The question of condemning the draft Wexler resolution and the US Government's attempt to impose sanctions against a Malaysian corporation and exercise a form of unacceptable extra-territoriality under its US domestic legislation should not only be decoupled, they should be separated from the issue of confidence motion in Mahathir as Prime Minister.
While the DAP is prepared to fully denounce the draft Wexler resolution directed against the Prime Minister or against any international conspiracy to unseat Mahathir as Prime Minister, they are different and distinct issues from a confidence motion in him as Prime Minister.
In a debate on confidence motion in Mahathir as Prime Minister, the issues are not the draft Wexler resolution or the US Government's attempt to impose sanctions on Petronas under its Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, but an inquest into Mahathir's governance of the country, whether it be democratic practices, human rights, economic policies, corruption, transparency whether in government or in the market-place, nation-building, education, international relations, etc.
I hope the Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet will give serious considerations as to whether an omnibus motion of confidence in the Prime Minister is the appropriate form of response to the outrageous draft Wexler resolution and the Petronas issue in connection with the US Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, and I would urge them to be mindful to prevent avoidable embarrassments to the Prime Minister.
(18/11/97)