A letter to Pak Lah

Dear Sir

In the 12th parliamentary election, the opposition parties have achieved excellent results in the polls unprecedentedly since the historical formation of the nation. In light of this electoral outcome, the BN leaders have presented various views on their below par performance. The MCA attributed their disastrous failure in the election to UMNO, because some UMNO leaders had frequently acted and spoken publicly, in such a manner as to offend the feeling of other races. As a consequence, disgusted Chinese society refused to vote for MCA candidates.

As a matter of fact, some MCA leaders also reckon that the MCA, acting as representative of the Chinese society in the BN, and failing to timely rectify the bias in the BN, should not put the blame wholly on the UMNO; the MCA should also hold accountable for their incompetence.

Basically, the two views of the MCA leaders reflect how some BN leaders, by virtue of their deeds, have seriously undermined the image of the BN, and leading the various races to associate the BN with injustice such as corruption, abuse of power, arrogance, arbitrariness etc. Inflation due to high price increase of fuel, and sense of deteriorating public security, disgusted citizens have unhesitatingly vetoed the BN Via their votes.

In fact the tarnished imaged of the BN was not merely portrayed by few UMNO leaders. On 07/03/08, two cases had occurred in Miri which greatly damaged the image of the BN, and both cases were widely published by the newspapers. If the BN Government would not look seriously at the cases and investigate, then it would only deepen the public’s negative view on BN’s injustice image.

Case 1: Malaysian citizen Tan Seng Hin @ Tan Wa Min (I/C 400805045269) and spouse arrived at Miri airport on 07/03/08. They prepared to vote on 08/03/08, the next day, which as citizens , they have the obligation to fulfil. They planned to leave on 09/03/08 at 4:00pm. However, their plan was shattered by an immigration officer. The officer told Tan Seng Hin that he had been ‘blacklisted’ by Sarawak Government, hence, he was not permitted to enter.

Data revealed that on 22/10/2000, the immigration of Sarawak abruptly issued an order to deport him and prohibit him from entering the state. No reason was given. This case was brought to the parliament for debate by DAP legislator. The following reasons were given:

1. Tan Seng Hin posed a threat to the harmony of the local society.
2. Tan Seng Hin was ungrateful to the Sarawak Government whom had permitted him to reside there for 23 years.
3. Inciting the local residents.
4. Tan Seng Hin took the advantage of his position as a secretary of Hainan Association Miri, criticized the State government.

Tan Seng Hin stated that as resident in Miri for 23 years, he had never involved in any illegal activities. He was nominated as secretary of the Hainan Association in 1995. Before his departure, he was appointed to represent Hainan Association as Board of Director of Pei Min Secondary School for the year 2001-2002.

During the period he held the post of secretary of Hainan Association Miri, he had represented Hainan Association making some suggestions and criticisms on Chinese education of Miri and the policy and guidance (mission) of the two independent Chinese medium school of Miri namely Riam Road Secondary school and Pei Ming Secondary school. The Miri Hainan Association proposed that independent Chinese medium school should stick to the guidance (mission) of mother tongue education, opposed the use of English as a teaching language. Tan Seng Hin expressed the apprehension and the stand of Hainan Association Miri that some manipulative persons might use the establishment of Curtin University to pervert (i.e. To change the medium of instruction from Chinese to English)the two independent Chinese medium school in Miri, or even the entire independent Chinese medium school in Sarawak. To date, the Sarawak Government is still unable to produce evidence to substantiate their claim that Tan Seng Hin, during his residence in Miri, had incited the local residence, nor to prove that Tan Seng Hin had involved himself in extremist action so as to harm the security of the society. Apparently, statement made by Tan Seng Hin that “manipulative persons might use the establishment of Curtin University to pervert the two independent Chinese medium school in Miri, or even the entire independent Chinese medium school in Sarawak” had agitated the Sarawak Government. Hence, he had to be eliminated to ease their worries. Obviously, the claim of incitation was merely a ploy to disrepute Tan and as an excuse to expel him.

Miri is a small place, whether or not Tan Seng Hin was involved in any extremist actions is clear to persons who are concerned about social situation of Miri. The Sarawak Government alleging Tan Seng Hin had harmed the security of the state and intends to use it as a reason to prohibit Tan from entering the state can hardly be accepted by the citizens. Mirians believed that a responsible State Government would not expel a person claimed to be involved in activities harmful to the security of the state from its territory, and irresponsibly off load the problem to other states. Citizens may be curious to see that a person who is deemed to be guilty, and the government is keeping tab on him, not on his endeavour to escape, but his “attempts” to enter the state.

The deportation of Tan Seng Hin revealed that the Sarawak Government had abused its power and seriously violated the Article 13 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Article 13:
(1) everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the country.
(2) everyone has the right to leave any country; including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 19: everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinion without interference.

The act to prevent Tan Seng Hin entering the state to vote had violated Article 3(1)(n) of the < election offences act 1954>

During the election period, the chairman of Election Commission of Malaysia had pledged sincerely to chastise the violators of this act, hoped that there be no double standard or saying one thing and doing otherwise.

Case 2: On 07/03/08 at around 10:00pm, more than 10 cars carrying BN flags, with dark windows, attempted to disrupt a political speech given by DAP by driving into the crowd, blasting horns and bellowing with accelerators. One member of public was hurt, causing dispute and commotion. The police intervened to end the dispute. On the eve of election day, SUPP solemnly clarified in several major newspaper denying the rumours that they were using money to buy votes. Due to lack of evidence, DAP Miri did not publicize the matter, even though we had heard about it. Looking at SUPP’s seriousness in its attitude and its solemn declaration, together with the above two cases, people further more believed that the rumours might not be baseless. The prohibition of Tan Seng Hin ‘s petty sum of one vote, the gangsters’ disruptive actions, can only lead people to believe that the BN would resort to any means in order to achieve their objectives.

Worries pervade the public in general due to the sense that as public security deteriorates and the gangsters’ organizations evolve into entrepreneurial entities resulting in the gangsterism’s influence growing bigger and becoming a serious problem. Public were shocked to see that the BN’s election working team consisted of gang members. The government proclaimed their fight against crime, on the other end, the public cannot discern the complete eradication of the gangsters. After the above cases came to light, people would realize that the government had employed domineering tactics on Tan Seng Hin similar to the gangsters, and would acknowledge that under the shield of the government, the gangsters would continue to proliferate and rampage about. How then, can the people continue to have confidence in the BN government and the future of the nation? ‘Black sheep’ (unscrupulous persons) within the BN may exist, it is not totally the fault of the BN government. However, should the BN government not take action to investigate after receiving information, the people would regard the BN government collaborating with the unscrupulous persons, tacitly allowing illegal activities to continue.

People, in their guest for true democracy, would expect healthy competition between the two-party in order to genuinely benefit the people. The expectation that victory built upon the mistakes of the other party certainly is a far cry from what democratic seekers relish.

Timely rectification of faults , the establishment of two-party system engaged in fair and healthy competition , should be the BN utmost urgent task. Waiting until the day when people equate the BN with injustice might just be too late.

Yours faithfully

Fong Pau Teck

Chairman DAP Miri Branch Sarawak