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Call on Prime Minister  to direct MCA and Gerakan Presidents to give full and satisfactory accounting in Parliament by way of personal explanations for the March 16  “phantom election advert” in all Chinese press on Abdullah as “modern-day Justice Bao” and confessing that the BN government was “corrupt and rotten to the very core”
 

Media Conference Statement (3)
by Lim Kit Siang

(Penang, Friday): The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, should direct the MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and the Gerakan President, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik  to give full and satisfactory accounting in Parliament by way of personal explanations for the March 16  “phantom election advert” in all Chinese press on Abdullah as “modern-day Justice Bao” and confessing that the BN government was “corrupt and rotten to the very core”.  This is imperative as MCA and Gerakan must prove that the election victory of their Ministers, MPs and State Assembly members were not because of the BIG LIE in the March 16 “phantom advertisement” which nobody dares to claim responsibility! 

I can accept the statement  of the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul  Aziz in Parliament on Wednesday that he knew nothing about it, and his further claim that the March 16 “phantom advertisement” had no authorization or approval of the Barisan Nasional top leadership – if what he meant was the UMNO leadership. 

But how could MCA and Gerakan leaderships disclaim responsibility for the full-page “phantom advertisements” which are ready by some three million Chinese newspaper readers in the country?  The latest Nielsen Media Survey gave the following readership for the Chinese newspapers as follows: 

China Press               710,000
Kwong Wah               271,000
Nanyang                   296,000
Sin Chew               1,098,000
Guang Ming               394,000

Although the DAP has lodged police reports yesterday in six states to demand police investigation as to what offences had been committed under the Penal Code, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the election laws, among others, the MCA and Gerakan leadership are duty-bound to own up as to  their political responsibilities and to explain their role in the multi-million ringgit phantom election advertisements.

If the MCA and Gerakan Presidents are not prepared to own up as to their role in the multi-million ringgit “phantom election advertisements” which have raised questions about the legitimacy of the victory of their candidates in the last general election, DAP MPs will pursue this question in Parliament to demand full and proper political accountability.

(5/6/2004)


* Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Member of Parliament for Ipoh Timor & DAP National Chairman