Yesterday, he announced that over 20 local contractors have been blacklisted for supporting the Opposition during the November general election and that the list had been sent to all state agencies and their subsidiaries in order to exclude the contractors from tenders for state-funded projects and contracts.
Mohd Ali said the action is not solely due to the contractors’ moral support for opposition parties but also for providing financial assistance to them.
He said: "We want to prove that the present ruling government is Barisan Nasional which had received the mandate of the people. It is only fair that priority is given to companies that support the government."
Mohd Ali confirmed that the State Government had terminated the contracts of international surveyor, CH William, Talhar & Wong, 21 pro-Opposition panel doctors and would withdraw RM45 million in fixed deposits from Bank Islam and Bumiputra-Commerce Bank.
Rustam Ali should first produce proof that Bank Islam and Bumiputra-Commerce Bank in Malacca had leaked bank secrets which had been posted on the Internet.
When Rustam Ali first announced punitive action to be taken against two banks in Malacca, the reason he had given was that the bank staff were pro-Opposition and he made no mention about leaking banking secrets on the Internet.
It was the Prime Minister who said that there were banks whose banking secrets involving the government were leaked on the Internet. But was he referring to Bank Islam and Bumiputra-Commerce Bank in Malacca?
Unless Mohd Ali can prove that Bank Islam and Bumiputra-Commerce Bank in Malacca had leaked government secrets on the Internet, it is pure political victimisation and discrimination as well as violation of the constitutional right of the staff in the two banks in Malacca if the reason is that the staff are pro-Opposition.
A ministerial statement should be presented in Parliament tomorrow citing all the instances where bank secrets had been leaked and posted on the Internet.
There are three reasons why Rustam Ali is escalating his
politics of vindictiveness and hatred:
It will not be long before Mohd Ali’s politics of vendetta and vindictiveness will be followed by UMNO Mentri Besars in other states.
When this happens, UMNO would have become the greatest threat to democracy, national unity and Vision 2020 by elevating into a national ideology that the government and Barisan Nasional are one indivisible whole and that the government is entitled to discriminate against anyone for not supporting the Barisan Nasional in the recent general election.
The Barisan Nasional and UMNO leaders must be reminded that they will be failing in their fundamental duties if they talk, act and conduct themselves as a government for 56 per of the voters who voted for the Barisan Nasional in the recent general election and not 100 per cent of Malaysians - when their remuneration also come from the taxes of the 44 per cent of the electorate who voted for the Barisan Alternative.
In practising such exclusive politics of discrimination, UMNO and Barisan Nasional would in fact be saying, for instance, that the Vision 2020 can only be the vision of 56 per cent and not 100 per cent of Malaysians!
I had warned that the final term of Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as the Prime Minister could be the most bleak and dangerous times for Malaysian nation-building and I do not find any solace or comfort to see my prediction being proven true.
(19/3/2000)