It was an ignominous victory for the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik, but as he said, “a win is a win, whether it is one to 10 votes or 50 to 150 votes does not matter”. Clearly, it also did not matter to Ling whether the 157-vote majority was the result of the “five seal” dirty tricks employed by his supporters, using the carrot and the stick, threatening reprisals on the one hand while promising candidatures, promotions and datukships on the other?
How many of the 1,176 delegates who voted for the MCA’s takeover of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press did so because they succumbed to the political corruption and bribery from the promises of candidatures, promotions and datukships? If 79 of the MCA delegates had been improperly influenced in this manner, then the cause of justice had been cheated of victory at the MCA EGM.
I was quite depressed by the MCA EGM result, where the historic opportunity to save the Chinese community, Chinese education, press freedom and democracy from catastrophes was missed.
But the thousand-people DAP dinner at Cuicak new village to oppose the MCA takeover of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press, held one day after the MCA EGM, has lifted my spirits, especially in the unanimous and whole-hearted manner in which everyone at the dinner stood up and put up their hands to support and to adopt the Three-Point Cuicak Declaration Demanding MCA’s full restoration of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press to the Chinese community.
I hope that the Three-Point Cuicak Declaration Demanding MCA’s full restoration of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press to the Chinese community will serve as the rallying cry of all Malaysians who cherish press freedom and democracy to force MCA to relinquish every share of ownership in the two Chinese newspapers.
The Three-Point Cuicak Declaration Demanding MCA’s full restoration
of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press to the Chinese community reads:
WE, THE PEOPLE OF CUICAK, PERAK, AT THE THOUSAND-PEOPLE DINNER ON 25TH JUNE 2001:(1) CONDEMN the MCA EGM of 24.6.2001 which endorsed the MCA takeover of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press, in direct defiance of the wishes and aspirations of the Chinese community that MCA relinquishes its entire ownership stake of Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd and return the two Chinese newspapers to the Chinese community to defend the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese community, Chinese education, press freedom, human rights and democracy in Malaysia.
(2) EXPRESS appreciation for the 1,019 MCA delegates at the MCA EGM who resisted the “five seals” dirty tactics of the MCA power establishment promising candidatures, promotions, awards and titles as to ensure that some 47 per cent of the EGM delegates opposed the MCA takeover of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press.
(3) DECLARE that ensuring that Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press continue to be free, independent and responsible to uphold press freedom as well as to play its traditional role to defend the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese community and Chinese education is not just a MCA issue but a matter of utmost concern to both the Chinese community and the national society, and for this reason, CALL for the immediate continuation of the movement to force MCA to relinquish every share of ownership of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press to pave the way for the reduction and end of political party ownership of the mass media in Malaysia with MCA relinquishing ownership of The Star and UMNO relinquishing ownership of Utusan and New Straits Times Group.
The Three-Point Cuicak Declaration for press freedom and democracy
must be spread far and wide throughout Malaysia to secure the endorsement
not only of the Malaysian Chinese who are directly concerned about the
threat to press freedom in the immediate cases of Nanyang Siang Pau and
China Press, but all Malaysian democrats who want to see the emergence
of free, independent and responsible media as an integral pillar
of Malaysian democracy.
(25/6/2001)