Statement by Nicole Tan Lee Koon, Secretary of DAP Seremban Branch

Nicole Tan Lee Koon 陳丽群, Secretary of DAP Seremban Branch is saddened and disappointed  that a Chinese leader like Chua Soi Lek (CSL)  has shown contempt for the Malaysian voters’ democratic right to scrutinise leaders through open debates. Only in a Third-World-Malaysia can public debates and thus public scrutiny be ignored, denied and suppressed, especially before the general elections. By Athenian principles and John F. Kennedy’s standards, CSL has committed a crime !

CSL recently made statements on 8th of July, 2012 in The Star(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/7/8/nation/20120708165703&sec=nation) and 11th of July, 2012 in Mysinchew and Bernama (http://www.mysinchew.com/node/75317) and The Star (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/7/10/nation/20120710190053&sec=nation), respectively that he will not be debating Lim Guan Eng (LGE) again as it is “a waste of time” and that Najib need not debate with Anwar as “he is a proven leader”. CSL can only get away with these kind of utterances if he thinks Malaysians have Third World mentality like him.

Open debate is a platform for the Malaysian voters to judge whether the candidates are electable. John F. Kennedy quoted “No president should fear public scrutiny of his program, for from that scrutiny comes understanding, and from that understanding comes support or opposition; and both are necessary…  Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed, and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian law makers once decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy”. Hence, CSL has shown contempt for the Malaysian voters’ democratic right to scrutinise leaders through open debates.

Elections of governments or wakil rakyats are part of  a country’s democratic process. To be a leader or Chief Executive Officer of a company one needs to have the proper qualifications and track record. Basically, a good Curriculum Vitae. What more to be a leader of a country? Hence, leaders/potential leaders need to be put under public scrutiny in terms of qualifications and track record.

Gone are the days of leader-centricism where the rakyats are supposed to be grateful to the leaders and follow the leaders blindly. Now, we need people-centric leaders, i.e leaders who are willing to be subjected to public scrutiny. Just look at the current Presidential Debates between Mitt Romney and Obama. It is opined that Najib as the PM of Malaysia (albeit without a mandate) should open himself to public scrutiny by debating with Anwar. Election is about trust and allowing the Rakyat to vote for the best candidate in terms of their character, knowledge and past deeds. By debating, we can judge whether they can articulate their policies well or not. The downside of an open debate is that ghosts of the past may come to haunt the debaters i.e their past misdeeds may come back to haunt them of which they do not have the answers. All the skeletons in their cupboard will be exposed and they have nowhere to hide. For example, CSL was dumbfounded when confronted by the questions about Nazri calling MCA “the battered wives” and the privatization of the Penang port.

CSL and Najib’s denial and suppression of open debates and public scrutiny will cause the Malaysian voters to speculate that they fear the raising of scandalous issues like Mongolia, Altantuya, Scorpene, PKFZ, Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani, Kugan, etc. Similarly, in Negeri Sembilan, the failure of Dr Yeow Chai Thiam to openly debate with Anthony Loke will raise much speculations that he fear the raising of embarrassing issues of his past record as the wakil rakyat in the Jimah constituency. Like the JE disaster; more than 100 people’s death; destruction of all pigs farms; termination of pig rearing activities; the JE trust funds and MCA Humanitarian Funds; repeated failure of election promises to reinstate pig farming; the failed integrated pig rearing centre; the plight of the pig farmers cum investors; and the location of Bukit Nanas near Bukit Pelandok as the sole national Toxic Waste Management Centre. The only way to avoid the unchallenged conclusions is for Dr Yeow willingly and happily, to  openly debate Anthony Loke without making silly and stupid excuses and conditions.

13th of July, 2012 (Friday)

Nicole Tan Lee Koon  陳丽群,

Secretary of DAP Seremban Branch

民主行动党芙蓉支部秘书陳丽群表示，公开辩论是大马选民论审议领袖素质的公民权益，华裔领袖蔡细历却不屑一顾，对此，她表示悲痛及失望。

惟有在大马这样的第三世界国家中，公开辩论及公众审议可被疏忽、否决和被压制，尤其是在全国大选期间。与雅典民主原则（Athenian principles）和约翰.F.肯尼迪（John F. Kennedy）的标准下，蔡细历已犯错。

公开辩论是一个平台，可作为大马选民判断是否该候选人应被投选。约翰.F.肯尼迪说过：「在其选举运动中，总统不该惧怕公众审议，又审议中可获得理解，而从理解中可获得支持或反对；而两者都是必须的……没有辩论，没有批判，没有任何政权和国家能够成功，同时，没有一个共和国可生存。这就是为何雅典的议员们曾颁布，任何公民如对争议中退缩，那将被视为是一项罪行。」因此，对于通过公开辩论审议领袖的民主权益，已被蔡细历所藐视。

蔡细历和纳吉拒绝和压制公开辩论和公开审议，将到只大马选民互相臆测，认为他们害怕提到各项丑闻，如蒙古女郎炸尸案、巴生自贸港弊案、赵明福命案、阿末沙巴尼命案、股甘命案等等。同样的，在森美兰，姚再添医生不愿与陆兆福公开辩论，这将造成臆测，民众会认为他害怕人们挑起他在担任吉马（Jimah）州议员时的服务记录。比方在立白病毒事件中，超过百人死亡、所有养猪场被毁；圈养猪只活动被禁止；立白病毒信托基金和马华公会的人道援助；在大选中屡次承诺恢复养猪场，可是却落空；综合养猪中心的失败；猪农和投资者的困境；靠近武吉不兰律的Bukit Nanas新建全国唯一的有毒废料管理中心。为了避免人民先入为主的看法，姚氏不该在作出愚蠢的理由和条件，他应欣喜接受与陆氏的公开辩论。

民主行动党芙蓉支部秘书

陳丽群,

2012年7月13日