DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has called on the MCA not to campaign in the Kuala Terengganu by-election over my media conference regarding the Port Klang Free Zone on Sunday.

I think this is YB Lim's latest attempt to distract the public from one of the worst crisis facing the Pakatan Rakyat following a recent controversial statement by PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa. Husam has only confirmed what the Malaysian public has known about PAS's intention all along - to set up an Islamic State and introduce Hudud laws if it comes to power at the national level.

If DAP feels so strongly about Husam's remarks, the DAP should as a matter of principle, not campaign for PAS' candidate in the Kuala Terengganu poll. Choosing to do so would only mean that the DAP supports public whipping, amputation and stoning for criminal offences under the Hudud laws. Mere words objecting to Husam's statement would not suffice if not demonstrated by action.

We can now clearly see signs of discord in the eight-month-old Pakatan Rakyat, which was formed as a marriage of convenience, whose member parties have starkly different, if not opposing, ideologies.

When YB Lim asked the MCA to boycott the Kuala Terengganu by-election campaigning, it merely shows that the DAP is terrified that the MCA will be able to win over the almost 9,000 Chinese voters in the constituency. The Chinese, who make up around 11 per cent of the voters there, are said to be the key to BN's victory. I give my assurance that the MCA will not only work hard to win over the Chinese voters there but will work with its coalition partners to woo voters of all races there.

That the DAP stalwart has issued two media statements on PKFZ in as many days, regurgitating on the same old issues show that the party has run out of issues for the by-election.

While YB Lim is free to comment, I would like him to be objective as whatever negative perception he is portraying to the public will affect the confidence of the existing and potential investors.

Instead, he should be reminded that Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had acknowledged that the PKFZ is a viable project.

As to YB Lim's queries on PKFZ, I have answered them as early as last May in Parliament. Back then, I had said that the Government could not acquire the land earmarked for the project because PKFZ is not a public interest project. Besides, a development order has been issued on the plot.

On the letters issued by my predecessors in the Ministry of Transport, I want to repeat that they were not guarantee letters, but merely confirming that there was an agreement entered into between Port Klang Authority and Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers is finalising its audit on the corporate governance of PKFZ, among others. I have said that there will be no interference on my part or the Government and I stand by my words. It is unnecessary to jump the gun before the PWC report is released.

I have said this many times before but somehow it did not register with YB Lim who keeps harping on the same issues. I can only conclude that he is full of platitudes.

Comments (58)

Subscribe to this comment's feed