UMNO leaders are shaken because what I said about the Supreme Council  ‘no contest’ decision strikes a chord among the UMNO rank-and-file


Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang
 

(Petaling Jaya,  Wednesday):  The Star today carried a report under the heading "Stay out, UMNO Youth tells Kit Siang", where a UMNO Youth exco member "warned" me to stop making press statements on the UMNO election process "as it is an internal matter".

He said I had no right to question the election process in UMNO as "It is a matter for UMNO members to decide whether they want a contest for the top two posts".

He said I was not qualified to debate on the matter as the DAP had no democratic tradition.

Firstly, I am surprised that a newspaper which had never reported my comments on the UMNO Supreme Council  "no contest" decision  should be publishing a statement by a UMNO Youth exco member asking me to  stop making statements.

Shouldn’t  the newspaper first publish my comments first, such as
 

Secondly, as my views have been "blacked out" in the mainstream media, why should UMNO and UMNO Youth leaders bother unless they are shaken because what I said about the UMNO Supreme Council’s "no contest" decision strikes a chord among the UMNO rank-and-file and my statements are making their rounds among various levels of UMNO leadership and membership from the Internet.

Thirdly, if my views are so objectionable, why haven’t any UMNO national leader or the UMNO Youth acting chief  himself come out openly on the issue?

DAP is prepared anytime to have a public debate with the UMNO on who is more democratic, for the DAP had never imposed any "no contest" rule in DAP history.  Such a DAP-UMNO public debate would give Malaysians an opportunity to realise that UMNO has deviated far from its democratic moorings and has become very Stalinist and authoritarian.

(12/1/2000)


*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman