He is a Cabinet Minister who is prepared to tell the most preposterous of falsehoods just to serve the ends of Gerakan and Barisan Nasional.
Berita Harian of 22nd November 1999 quoted the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as saying in Tasek Gelugor that PAS had betrayed its Islamic State objective to befriend DAP.
According to the Berita Harian report, (p.2) Abdullah Badawi said that "Pas tidak mempunyai apa-apa sekarang kerana semuanya sudah dikorbankan semata-mata untuk mendapat sokongan dan kerjasama DAP".
The Berita Harian report said:
"Beliau berkata, pengorbanan yang dilakukan itu kerana bimbang tidak mampu memperoleh kejayaan cemerlang jika bergerak secara bersendirian pada pilihanraya umum kali ini.
"’Apa yang ada lagi pada Pas, yang pasti Pas tahu mereka tidak boleh buat apa-apa dalam pilihan raya ini secara sendirian dan kerjasama dengan DAP penting, walaupun terpaksa korbankan matlamat untuk menubuhkan kerajaan Islam,’ katanya berucap di hadapan lebih 300 anggota jentera pilihanraya Parlimen Tasek Gelugor di Dewan Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Lee Chee di sini, malam tadi."
However, in the same issue of Berita Harian (page 7), Keng Yaik sang a different tune. He was quoted as alleging in Ayer Tawar that I have sold out DAP principles in agreeing to the PAS objective of an Islamic state.
Berita Harian reported Keng Yaik as accusing me of "tidak menghiraukan pengundi Cina apabila bersetuju dengan cadangan Pas untuk mendirikan negara Islam jika pakatan pembangkang memenangi pilihanraya umum kali ini."
Who is right, Abdullah Badawi or Keng Yaik? One of them is telling a falsehood, as both cannot be right. Either DAP had sold out to PAS on Islamic State, or PAS had sold out to DAP - as both could not have sold out to each other!
In actual fact, both assumptions are wrong - for neither the DAP nor PAS had betrayed or compromised on their basic principles. DAP remains constant and consistent in our stand that an Islamic state in unsuitable and unacceptable for a plural society like Malaysia while the Islamic State objective of PAS remains it ideological objective.
However, the coming-together of DAP, PAS, KeADILan and PRM in the Alternative Front has nothing to do with the issue of Islamic state, but on the common platform to restore justice, freedom, democracy and good governance.
What should be disturbing is that the Berita Harian reports on the contradictory statements show that Keng Yaik has no respect for Abdullah Badawi, telling an entirely opposite version from what the Deputy Prime Minister had said.
This is one reason why there is no public confidence that Abdullah Badawi could succeed Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as Prime Minister, when even now, Cabinet Ministers like Keng Yaik could openly counter and contradict Abdullah Badawi saying that DAP had sold out to PAS when Abdullah Badawi had said that PAS had sold out to DAP!
Keng Yaik would not have dared to counter and contradict a public statement when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was a Deputy Prime Minister!
Last night, I responded to Keng Yaik’s challenge to me to declare my stand on PAS Deputy President Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill, "Control and Restriction of Propagation of Non-Muslim Religions (Federal Territories) 1999", in the last Parliamentary meeting.
I accepted Keng Yaik’s challenge and invited him to a joint media conference on 25th November at a place and time of his choice on whether Gerakan really opposed Hadi’s private member’s bill on "Control and Restriction of Propagation of Non-Muslim Religions (Federal Territory)", or whether it was just because a PAS leader had moved it and Gerakan would have supported such a legislation if it had been moved by UMNO.
There is no doubt this constituted the great difference between the DAP and Gerakan. DAP takes a stand on principle, whether on the freedom of religion or a secular democratic state, and we will defend these principles and oppose any proposal or bill which contravenes them, whether they are made by UMNO or PAS.
The Gerakan under Keng Yaik however does not take any stand on principle but is guided by sheer political opportunism. It will oppose any measure put forth by PAS and support any measure presented by UMNO.
I do not believe Keng Yaik would dare to deny this statement by appearing at a joint media conference with me on Nov. 25.
Let me serve notice on Keng Yaik that if he does not accept my invitation to appear at a joint media conference on November 25 for him to clarify his stand on Hadi’s private member’s bill, I reserve the right to expose Keng Yaik and Gerakan’s true stand on an Islamic state and hukum hudud.
(23/11/99)