I HAVE FAITH IN ANWAR, HE STOOD UP FOR ME - Guan Eng slams 'where were you' Liow, MCA

MCA new President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai should learn from his predecessor Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s example in admitting his personal defects, instead of using twisted logic and lies to cover up MCA’s failings to promote Chinese education or protect fundamental civil and political liberties.

Blaming Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for causing Operasi Lallang in 1987, where 116 political leaders and NGOs were detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA), defies logic and denies the truth when it is not Anwar, but Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was the Home Minister that signed the detention orders.

Anwar was never hypocritical about his past; even when he was in Umno, he stood up for justice

I can vouch that Anwar was not involved because I was amongst those detained, being the first to be arrested on 27 October 1987 and the last to be released on April 19 1989. My detention order, like those for DAP leaders such as Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang, was signed by Tun Dr Mahathir.Amongst the reasons for my detention without trial under the ISA was that I had defended Chinese education.

I have faith with Anwar because Anwar had come to terms with the corruption and the wrongs committed by UMNO and BN when he was an UMNO leader. Even though he personally never committed the corrupt acts, he never denied that he was guilty by association.

He had explained many times that he thought he could change UMNO and BN from within but when he failed, he finally broke with Tun Dr Mahathir and had to suffer selective prosecution and relentless persecution, leading to him being imprisoned for 6 years and being beaten up black and blue.

I will never forget that before I was imprisoned for a second time, this time as a common criminal in Kajang Prison in 1998, Anwar had stood up for me and spoke on my behalf publicly when he was still Deputy Prime Minister. Anwar opposed the denial of justice given to me even when he was still Deputy Prime Minister. I was convicted for defending an underaged Malay girl who was detained even though she was raped, whilst her rapists escaped unpunished.

Where were Tiong Lai, MCA, Gerakan?

No BN leader and not even one single MCA leader had stood up for me or for justice then? Liow Tiong Lai - where were you in 1987 and 1998? Clearly, it is not Anwar Ibrahim that poses a threat to fundamental human rights but an unprincipled and spineless MCA that is a traitor to their cause and a slave to racists and religious extremists.

There is no doubt that recent events have proven MCA as a traitor to their cause and a slave to racists and religious extremists when MCA condemns such violent actions only in Chinese newspapers but not in Malay newspapers.

There was no demand by MCA that UMNO directs their Tanjung UMNO leaders to withdraw and apologise for their demand that pork be banned from being openly sold in 95% non-Malay areas in Penang. If pork is to be banned from being openly sold in 95% non-Malay areas, then such a ban must be imposed on the whole of Penang!

And now with Teresa, MCA is selling out the Chinese again to help Umno ultras bash DAP

MCA had also chosen to attack DAP Seputih MP Teresa Kok’s harmless video clip and sided with the racists and extremists playing games to distract attention from BN’s price hikes in sugar, petrol, power tariffs and motor insurance premiums.

And where is MCA’s principled stand when they can renege on their own promises and be a traitor to their cause of not accepting Cabinet positions if MCA performed worse in the 2013 general elections? When the people including MCA members, rejected MCA in the last general elections, MCA regretted making the rejection of government posts their cause.

By calling for a special Extraordinary General Meeting next Sunday to allow MCA leaders to accept government posts, MCA has proven once again that it only makes promises to break them.

What moral right and principled justification has MCA to criticise Anwar when for MCA leaders, nothing is more important than the perks and privileges of Ministerial office?

LIM GUAN ENG is the Penang Chief Minister

民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英於2014年2月16日在吉隆坡发表文告：

安华並没有对基本人权造成威胁，反之，真正违背良知的是没有原则及懦弱的马华，臣服於种族主义及宗教极端份子。

马华新任总会长拿督斯里廖中莱应该向前任总会长拿督斯里蔡细历医生学习承认自己的缺失，而非使用谬误的逻辑及连篇的谎言来掩饰马华在推广华文教育、保障基本公民权益及政治自由上的失败。把1987年的《茅草行动》造成116个政治及非政府组织领袖在内安法令下遭逮捕的罪名算在国会反对党领袖安华的头上，不啻为颠倒是非逻辑之举，因为真正的元凶乃是敦马哈迪医生，当时，正是身兼内政部长的后者签署了逮捕令。

我是有关行动的第一个被捕者，在1987年10月27日锒铛入狱，同时也是最后一个被释放者，迟至1989年4月19日，我才得以离开牢房。我可以确定，安华並未参与其中，因为我的逮捕令，包括其他民主行动党领袖，诸如卡巴星及林吉祥的逮捕令，都是敦马所签署。而我当时被内安法令所扣留的其中一个原因，就是我捍卫华文教育。

我对安华有信心，因为安华在担任巫统领导时，已意识到巫统及国阵犯下的种种贪污及错失行为，即便他个人从未参与其中，可是，他从不否认自己身在共犯结构之中而感到愧疚。安华已多番解释，他曾以为自己可以在体制内改变巫统及国阵，但最终还是失败。他和敦马决裂后，惨遭莫须有的指控，导致身陷囫囵六年，且被殴至伤痕累累。

我从未忘记1998年，当我第二次以普通刑事犯的身份被逮捕到加影监狱时，还是副首相的安华竟挺身而出，公开为我撑腰，反对这项不公的裁决。那时，我是因为替一名遭强奸的未成年马来少女伸张正义，而遭定罪，但强奸犯却得以逃之夭夭，不必面对惩治。

除了安华，当时没有一名国阵领袖，甚至是一个马华的代表站出来喊话，为我也好，正义也罢，就是没有一个人出来说话。廖中莱，在1987年及1998年事情发生之际，你躲到哪里了？显然的，安华並没有对基本人权造成威胁，反之，真正违背良知的，是没有原则及懦弱的马华，臣服於种族主义及宗教极端份子。

无庸置疑，近期发生的各种事件，再次证明马华背叛了自己，且臣服於种族主义及宗教极端份子。马华只会在中文报谴责暴力行动，而不会出现在马来报。当巫统指示其丹绒区部的领袖，针对禁止在95%是非巫裔的地区公开售卖猪肉一事道歉及撤回言论之际，马华做过了何种的要求？如果在95%是非巫裔的地区都不能公开售卖猪肉，那最终整个槟城都不能售卖猪肉！

马华在这时候选择攻击士布爹国会议员郭素沁毫无破坏力的贺岁短片，与种族主义及极端主义者站在同一线上操弄此事，仅是为国阵转移视线，以为这就能让大家忘却国阵刚给人民带来的涨潮，包括糖价、油价、电费、摩托车保险价高企不下的事实。

马华的原则究竟在哪里？当初不是说好如果2013年大选表现不佳的话，就不再接受入阁，但为何如今却出尔反尔，推翻自己的承诺？是不是人民包括马华党员在刚过的大选拒绝了马华，马华就后悔自己做了不接受官职的决定？

马华准备在下个星期日召开特大，寻求通过让马华领袖得以接受官职，只是再次地证明马华只会出尔反尔。官位特权若是如此重要，马华还有什么道德及原则立场来批判安华？

林冠英