Gerakan leaders Kerk Choo Ting and Koh Tsu Koon should explain their role in helping UMNO Youth to force Suqiu Committee to compromise on seven of its 83-point election appeals with threats of a non-existing "racially tense situation"


Media Comment - Penang DAP Chinese New Year Open House
by Lim Kit Siang 

(Penang, Sunday): On Friday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad created  political shock-waves  in Sik when he said  that although the Suqiu Committee had "dropped" seven of its 83-point election appeals,  the government was studying the implications of the remaining 76  points to see if there would be another round of discussions with Suqiu "if there is anything that can affect national peace and well-being…so that they will not be raised again".

Who are the  Barisan Nasional leaders involved in the study of the remaining 76 points of the Suqiu election appeals to consider whether they should be "put aside", "dropped" or "withdrawn"? Does it include any MCA leader whose President, Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik had said that only one of two points or 2 per cent of the 83-point election appeals are "questionable"? Is  any  Gerakan leader involved like Kerk Choo Ting, the Gerakan Deputy President, and Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, the Penang Chief Minister, who had been accused of misusing and abusing their "mediator" role and helped UMNO Youth with threats of a  non-existing "racially tense situation" prevailing in the country to force Suqiu Committee to compromise on seven of its 83-point election appeals?

A day after the highly controversial UMNO  Youth-Suqiu Committee Joint Statement of January 5, 2001, with both sides subsequently disagreeing as to what they had actually agreed upon - with UMNO Youth leader Datuk Hishammudin Tun Hussein on the one hand claiming that Suqiu Committee had "withdrawn" the seven points  but which is disputed by Suqiu officials - Kerk had boasted to the Chinese media of his role and prowess in successfully chairing the series of UMNO Youth-Suqiu Committee secret negotiations.

What is very surprising is that neither Kerk nor any other Gerakan leader involved in the UMNO Youth-Suqiu Committee secret negotiations had responded to the very serious allegations in the media that they had abused their "mediator" role and played  "a major role in Suqiu’s capitulation" to UMNO Youth.

Malaysiakini, in its report of 17th January 2001, quoting "reliable sources" said that Suqiu was relegated to a subordinate position in the  final leg of the negotiations with Umno Youth.

Malaysiakini reported:
 

 
The Malaysiakini report continued:
   
Kerk and Koh, who had played a major role in UMNO Youth-Suqiu Committee secret negotiations to the disadvantage of the latter, should explain at least four  things:
  (28/1/2001)

*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman