Speech at The DAP Melaka State Annual Convention
by Lim Guan Eng

(Melaka, Sunday): Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam’s performance after 6 years as Melaka Chief Minister is a direct contradiction of Datuk Seri Abdullah’s promises of fighting corruption, Islamic Hadhari and good governance. The number of corruption scandals, abuses of powers and financial malpractices have not decreased but multiplied manifold since Abdullah came to power as Prime Minister two years ago.

For instance despite Abdullah’s directive for open tenders of government projects, this is not complied with in the RM 12 million renovation project of the Melaka Governor’s official residence or the RM 450,000 repainting project of the Putra Hospital owned by the state government. The public has a right to know how RM 12 million renovations was spent on lifts, landscaping, interior decoration of the Istana Melaka given without open tender. The project is past its completion date of 30 September 2005.

Public funds is misused such as the nearly RM 1 million around the world junket to United States by an official delegation led by the Melaka Chief Minister, his wife and including his children. Such wastage of public funds is followed by the Majlis Perbandaran Alor Gajah (MPAG) spending RM 70,000 to China for a study mission where MPAG councilors did not meet even a local council staff.

The Melaka Chief Minister also misused money meant to assist the poor in need of medical assistance for hospital bills by giving to his own family members and political cronies. He had refused to give a full public accounting of this Health Welfare Fund amounting to RM 908,242.33 since 19/12/2001. The public has a right to know why they were not informed of such a fund, the qualifying requirements for applicants and the detailed list of those who benefited from the Fund.

How did the poor benefit when not only Datuks and wealthy patients but his own family members received money from the fund? Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam can not refuse to answer and in the interests of public accountability I would lodge a report against him with the Anti-Corruption Agency tomorrow. I hope the ACA would act on this report if they are serious in helping Abdullah to fight corruption.

Abdullah Islam hadhari promotes good Islamic values. Is Ali Rustam’s Islam hadhari giving licences for Malay Muslims to sell alcohol in Melaka and operate a discotheque which disturbs the sleep of residents?

Where is good governance as preached by Abdullah when for the first time in history, Melaka is technically bankrupt? This is verified by the Auditor-General’s 2004 Report that the government assets are unable to sustain its liabilities as follows:- 

•           For 2004, short-term assets of RM 221.77 million can not sustain liabilities of  RM 258 million. In 2003 short-term assets of RM 249 million could cover the liabilities of RM 86.65 million;

•           The state government’s long term financial situation is unsatisfactory because its assets of RM 903 million could sustain the liabilities of RM 978 million.

Even the Chinese community were cheated by Ali and BN in the 2004 general elections when promises of development were not kept. Worse Ali condemned Chinese education and was the first senior UMNO leader to oppose the building of new Chinese primary schools and condemned Dong Ziao Zong for opposing the 2-4-3 formula using English to teach Maths and Science. DAP regrets that MCA and its 2 Melaka STate EXCO members  dared not oppose such irresponsible and extremist statements by Ali.

The Chinese associations should not give the wrong impression that we are not serious about our principles by holding a grand gala dinner to honour his 6 th Anniversary as Melaka Chief Minister on 20 December 2005 when Ali had not apologized or withdrawn his extremist statements. How can we be respected if we honour the very person who is against the Chinese community’s wish for more Chinese primary schools and restoration of teaching of Science and Maths in mother tongue language?

Adopt 3 People’s Principles To Unite The Party For The People’s Benefit And Reject Warlordism That Only Benefits BN And Betrays The People’s Trust In Us.

DAP Melaka leaders should take the lead in opposing such opportunistic and unprincipled politics. To regain the seats lost in the 2004 general elections, DAP must win back the people’s confidence. One very important condition is party unity.

To do so, the people must adopt the 3 people’s principles of Sun Yat Sen not warlordism. Sun fought for nationalism, democracy and equality in people’s welfare. This is still relevant in the modern context as we should be focusing on Malaysian nationalism not one based on narrow racial or religious differences. Democracy should be part of our culture. As for equal people’s rights, Sun was talking about equality in land but we can look at it in the context of fighting for equal opportunity.

Let us adopt the basis of struggle behind the 3 people’s principles and reject warlordism - national unity based on Malaysian not on race or religion; democracy as part of our culture and equal opportunity.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sdr Sim Tong Him for his services to the party over the last 15 years as DAP Melaka Chairman. I have tried to persuade him to stay on but he felt that he had to go for personal reasons as well as his publicly stated desire to let younger leaders have a chance. In this regard, it is both our hope that the new Melaka state leadership to be led by Sdr Goh Leong San can forge party unity and co-operation with the national leadership so that we can face BN as one in the next general elections.

(18/12/2005)