(Petaling Jaya, Friday): UMNO Youth leader, Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has again confirmed his political ignorance, immaturity and irresponsibility when he made baseless allegations against me with regard to what I said in Parliament and the Kidurong by-election in Sarawak.
Berita Harian today, under the headline "Kit Siang dianggap talam dua muka", reported:
Bintulu, Khamis - Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda Umno, Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, menyelar tindakan Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Kit Siang, sebagai talam dua muka dan mahu pemimpin pembangkang itu berhenti dari terus pemperdayakan pengundi di kawasan pilihan raya kecil Kidurong.
Menurutnya, kenyataan ‘double standard’ yang digunakan oleh Kit Siang berhubung peranan Perdana Menteri dalam menganani ekonomi negara ketika berkempen disini, adalah bukti parti itu tidak pernah ikhlas menolong rakyat.
Malah, katanya, tindakan tidak bermaruah dan bertanggungjawab pemimpin pembangkang itu adalah gambaran bahawa parti pembangkang terbabit sudah muflis idea untuk menenangi hati rakyat. "Di Dewan Rakyat beliau menyatakan sokongan penuh terhadap Perdana Menteri dalam menangani ekonomi negara ini, tapi di sini (ketika berkempen), dia sebaliknya menikam kerajaan dari belakang."
Let me advise Ahmad Zahid that if he does not open his mouth, nobody would know about his political ignorance, immaturity and irresponsibility.
Ahmad Zahid is capable of saying one thing today and denying it tomorow, as happened to him when he went to Singapore and publicly apologised to Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, but he could return to Malaysia the next day and denied that he had made the apology - although his apology had been telecast on tape.
I would advise Ahmad Zahid to earn respect as a responsible, serious and mature political leader, and before he speaks, he should check the facts first.
For the information of the UMNO Youth leader, what I said in the Kidurong by-election campaign about the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the economic crisis was the same as what I said in Parliament in my budget speech on Monday.
In the Kidurong by-election, I repeated my pledge of support to the Prime Minister that the DAP would not allow any foreign country to interfere in the domestic affairs of the country by wanting the Prime Minister to step down, as this is a matter to be decided solely by Malaysians. Secondly, I also repeated my pledge that the DAP would give full support to the Prime Minister and the government to resolve the national economic crisis.
However, as I indicated in Parliament, the DAP’s support is not blind support, and it would not preclude the DAP from criticising the government and even the Prime Minister where they had done wrong and committed errors.
I would advise Ahmad Zahid to check what I said in Parliament before he make baseless allegations which highlights his political ignorance, irresponsibility and immaturity in future. The trouble with Ahmad Zahid is that he is hardly in Parliament, and it is not surprising that he does not know what is happening in Parliament.
(24/10/97)