Yesterday, Keng Yaik said Loke, who is also Pahang Gerakan chairman, underwent an operation for cancer of the jaw three weeks ago and was recovering with chemotherapy treatment.
I wish Loke speedy recovery and hope that there will be no by-election in Ketari.
However, the voters of Ketari are entitled to know the actual condition of the health of their State Assemblyman.
Keng Yaik said he went to the hospital to visit Loke on Sunday but he had been discharged, leading him to say: "Surely, a patient's condition has improved if he is allowed to return home."
It would appear that even Keng Yaik had not seen Loke and has no personal information on Loke’s condition although he is the party president. This is most unsatisfactory and clearly a matter of public concern.
However, this is no reason why Keng Yaik should be unfair to the Opposition by blaming the Opposition for spreading rumours that there would be another by-election in Ketari when it is the MCA leaders who are spreading the rumours.
For instance, in Parliament yesterday, a MCA MP told MPs from both UMNO and the Barisan Alternative that Loke had passed away and that this news had been reported over the radio.
DAP is prepared to name the MCA MP concerned if challenged by Keng Yaik.
Sanggang has become a most high-profiled by-election as never before in any state assembly by-election in history have no many national leaders of the ruling coalition converged in the constituency.
Except for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, all the Barisan Nasional big guns had swamped the constituency. Abdullah is virtually campaigning in Sanggang everyday as if he is fighting for his personal political life.
However, what saddens me is the mountain of lies and falsehoods being
spread by the Barisan Nasional in the Sanggang by-election, from trying
to frighten the Chinese with the lies that they would become "an
oppressed race" in Malaysia if PAS wins, where the Chinese will have
no pork, no alcohol, no temples, no Chinese schools, pretty women cannot
find work, there would be chopping of hands and feet to other lies like:
Far from not wanting the Chinese voters to come out and vote, DAP and the Barisan Alternative want everyone of the 5,119 Chinese voters in Sanggang to vote to prove that the Chinese in Malaysia is not an easily-duped race who could continue to be misled by lies and falsehoods that the Chinese would become an ‘oppressed race’ in Malaysia because the DAP is co-operating with PAS to restore justice, freedom, democracy and good governance in Malaysia.
The by-election campaign ends at midnight tonight. Let Barisan Nasional and Barisan Alternative respect the right of the Sanggang voters tomorrow to exercise their constitutional right to elect their assemblyman and determine the political future not only on Sanggang and Pahang but the country as well.
(31/3/2000)