Guan Eng vs Soi Lek debate - Free Malaysia Today report

MCA president is disappointed Lim had dragged him into his alleged sex scandal while the DAP leader thinks MCA is not qualified to debate on BN government policies.

K

UALA LUMPUR: MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek started his attack against Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng even before the debate between the duo had begun.

Speaking to the reporters about an hour before the debate, Chua said he was disappointed with Lim and his wife Betty Chew for dragging him (Chua) into the Penang CM’s alleged sex scandal.

“I am disappointed with the behaviour of Lim and his wife, who have dragged me into this whole affair,” he said.

“Why bring the whole world in? Why drag me into this? Deny the allegations is enough, no need to drag me into this,” Chua said.

The issue about Lim’s alleged sex scandal surfaced at the Malacca state assembly sitting last Monday when Malacca MCA chairman Gan Tian Loo had asked Betty, who is the Kota Laksamana state rep, to respond to claims that Lim had a secret relationship with a former staff.

Betty had refused to answer the question in the state assembly and had challenged Gan to repeat it outside the assembly so that she can sue him for defamation.

Lim meanwhile had denied the allegations and had lashed out at MCA chief Chua for letting his party men to spread lies. He had also said that “I am no Chua Soi Lek”, alluding to Chua’s own sex scandal in 2008.

He also challenged Chua to raise the scandal at the debate today so that he could sue the MCA leader for defamation.

Today’s debate is the second time Chua and Lim will be squaring off. The last debate in February had begun with Chua slamming his opponents in his opening speech. It descended into a political ‘ceramah’ instead of a debate when supporters turned rowdy.

When reporters asked Lim to respond to Chua’s statement, the former once again dared Chua ro repeat the allegations during the debate.

“Let the people decide, who had really misbehaved,” Lim said of the allegations.

MCA not qualified to debate

Meanwhile, in his opening speech, Lim said that the debate should have been between Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

“Is Najib worried that following such a debate, the Malaysians will know that Anwar is a better prime minister-material than himself?” asked Lim.

He added that MCA was not qualified to debate on government policies “because MCA does not decide, it is Umno that decides”.

“MCA claims to speak only for the Chinese, and yet only the Chinese in the Peninsula, and not the Chinese in Sabah and Sarawak.

“This is different from the DAP, that wants to speak for all Malaysians,” he said, continuing the tone of political propaganda as was seen in the first debate.

He blamed the Barisan Nasional of not fighting the menace of corruption.

“BN has never spoken truthfully to the Malaysian people. Let us speak truthfully now. If we can unite as Malaysians and not allow BN and Umno to divide us, and discuss our problems together, I am convinced that we will succeed in overcoming them,” he said.

“The DAP believes that the policies of our party and Pakatan Rakyat represent the future for our children, whereas the policies of the MCA and BN represent the past,” he added.

He said that the Pakatan rule of the federal government will see the abolition of the North-South Highway tolls and the removal of subsidies to the independent power producers.

He added that Pakatan will also ensure that abuse of power that has led to Malaysians dying in custody does not recur.

He said the crime index would be brought down, and objected again to the setting up of the Lynas rare earth plant in Kuantan.

“We will stop the building of nuclear reactors as proposed by BN, and no longer should Sabahans be strangers in their own land with illegal immigrants getting citizenship,” he added.

DAP a Chinese chauvinist party

In response, Chua said that Najib need not have a debate with Anwar because “he is the prime minister”.

He added that Najib’s administration was not making empty promises like those from Pakatan Rakyat.
“The promises were fulfilled. These three years, the rakyat has gotten what was promsied under the leadership of Najib.”

“Anwar is full of rhetoric, no specific, short on delivery. He has to convince us to translate this rhetoric into what we call delivery.

“MCA has been involved in nation building from day one. We were the one involved in the fight against the communist insurgency, the resettlement of the Chinese in new villages, the fight for independence, the right of citizenship after independence. That’s why citizens like LGE are citizens of the country,” he added.

He said the on the contrary it was the DAP which had not role to play.

“What has Pakatan done for us? No clear direction. Look at the four Pakatan states, 95 percent of the promise is janji janji kosong.

“Everyday tell the whole world you give hundred dollars to the old people. RM200 to the newborn and they must be voters. We give RM 200 to our newborn babies.

“DAP has only one thing to show. They collect a lot of money from the rakyat. Despite calls of accountability, transparency – nothing to show.

“Where has the money collected gone to? DAP is a camoflauge for Chinese chauvinist party,” he said.