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Former Malaysian Chinese Leader Challenges Mahathir Over Corruption
by Kazi Mahmood for IslamOnline
JAKARTA (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A former Chinese political leader has urged Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysian Prime Minister and United Malays National Organization (UMNO) president, to declare his assets to the world. He said this would be a first step towards eradicating corruption in the country.
Former Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) deputy president Lee Siok Yew challenged Mahathir in a talk organized by Dong Jiao Zong on the Vision School project at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday night.
His comments on the Vision School, which is opposed by the Chinese community in Malaysia, might be a serious indication of a split in support for the ruling coalition in power.
The MCA is the major Chinese partner in the ruling National Front (NF), a racially based coalition with the Malay-led UMNO as linchpin and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) representing the Indian community.
More than 1,000 attended the talk, where Lee touched on the dangers of corruption among national leaders. He commented on Mahathir’s speech last Saturday during a UMNO special meeting.
"When I watched Mahathir deliver his speech, I sympathized with him. But because of Mahathir himself, nowadays money rules,” Lee Siok Yew said.
"One of the leaders I most admire is the late Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. He retired in 1972. He called me from Penang, and said, ‘Lee, I don't have money to pay income tax.'
"Father of Malaysia, a former prime minister and he didn't have money to pay income tax! But, now, I don't know," said Lee.
"I would like to give a tip to Mahathir," Lee told the crowd. "It is very easy to eradicate corruption. The Prime Minister, starting with himself, should announce to the world how much assets he has followed by the ministers, chief ministers and ‘exco’ members.”
Currently, all ministers and Chief Ministers declare their assets only to the Prime Minister.
Launching a rare attack on the UMNO, the Chinese leader said the party was splitting up with people contesting posts for money.
"Today, the UMNO is splitting up and contesting posts for money because money can buy posts and with the posts, they can make money. UMNO is splitting up itself," Lee said, followed by loud applause from the audience.
Last Saturday, an emotional Mahathir pleaded with UMNO delegates attending the party's one-day EGM to reject corruption for the benefit of their future generations.
Mahathir said that unless something was done to stop money politics in UMNO, there will come a day when a future party president and the country's prime minister will be able to buy his position through corruption and bribery.
He said corrupt practices were becoming rampant in the party and asked the delegates to gather sufficient evidence on those who practice corruption and expose them to the public.
The Chinese community in Malaysia has been instrumental in the electoral success of the National Front during last year’s general elections. Their massive vote for the NF was crucial in the victory.
However, recent events have shown growing signs of discontent among a large section of the community that forms 30% of the population of 22 million Malaysians.
In his Independence Day speech in August this year, Mahathir said the Suqui, a popular Chinese non-government organization, was like the communist insurgency movement and was dangerous for Malaysian society.
This caused a national controversy and may have alienated a large section of the Chinese community, observers say.
Two weeks ago, Mahathir showed his disappointment over the rejection by the Chinese community of the Vision School project, an advanced system of education deemed to integrate Malaysia in the knowledge economy.
The system does not cater to Chinese languages and lessons are to be done in English and Malay, sources said. It is believed the Chinese community voiced their disapproval of the project to the Prime Minister.
Lee Siok Yew may have spilled more oil in the raging fire when he apologized on Tuesday to Chinese Malaysians for his party’s support to the government’s move in the 1960s to switch medium of instructions to Malay from Chinese languages.
"In 1966, I was misled on the ‘converted' secondary school issue," Lee recalled of the tenure he had served as a deputy education minister, from 1964-1969, and hence contributed to the government's education policy.
Lee claimed he was "misconceived", resulting in his misleading the Chinese community. "I hate those who had cheated me, now I have to bear the responsibility," he said.
"This is my burden. I am now 77 years old, but I want to come forward to join all of you.
"The young people lead, I will take my walking stick and follow you in opposing the Vision School project," he added.
"The British and Malays were using the Chinese to upgrade the status of their community, but the Chinese never received fair treatment," he commented.
The former deputy MCA chief stressed that the Constitution, in Section 152, affirms that Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-language country, and everyone is free to use his or her mother tongue.
"No government can oppress the language of a citizen. I want to persuade those who want to abandon their mother tongue to review themselves," Lee advised.
"No matter how highly regarded they are, Dato' or Tan Sri, no one can betray their mother tongue, we do not grant them the power to sell out our mother tongue!" he stressed.
"We are not the overseas Chinese of Indonesia or Thailand, we are the partner who shares the same status, which had struggled hand in hand with UMNO for Independence for this country," he said.
"I hope the ruling people won't mislead us, and we are not going to be misled again," he said, reiterating that the Vision School project could yet be another trap to mislead the community.
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