This is because the five MCA/Gerakan Ministers have not only failed to heed the stand of the Chinese community and those of other ethnic and religious groups in opposing the shift of the century-old cemetries from Old Airport Road in Kuala Lumpur, they had supported the Cabinet decision made two years ago to relocate the cemetries to Semenyih without any public consultation whatsoever.
It is another crying shame that the MCA Ministers had succeeded in arm-twisting Samy Vellu from raising the century-old cemetries controversy at the Cabinet today, which appears to be the only thing they are good at - bullying MIC.
The reply in Parliament yesterday by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance, Hashim Ismail, that the relocation of the cemetries along Jalan Sungei Besi and Jalan Loke Yew in Kuala Lumpur would be done in five phases by Pribena Construction Sdn. Bhd is clear proof of the Cabinet decision to relocate the cemetries, which contain the graves of historical figures such as Kapitan Yap Ah Loy and the burial grounds of various ethnic and religious groups such as Kwang Tung Association, Hokkein Association, Roman Catholic, Sri Lankan Buddhist and Japanese cemeteries and a Hindu crematorium.
As the MCA Ministers had agreed in Cabinet to the relocation of the Sungei Besi cemetries, they had been most irresponsible in arm-twisting Samy Vellu from raising the issue in Cabinet today on the ground of the absence of the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik and that the MCA would take heed of the views of the Chinese community.
Fifteen years ago, the MCA also took "heed of the views of the Chinese community" and supported the proposed demolition of the Bukit China cemetry hill in Malacca, with Liong Sik leading the MCA faction supporting the "redevelopment" of Bukit China into a money-making commercial centre.
As the Chinese community as well as other ethnic and religious groups
with cemetries in Sungei Besi have made clear their opposition to the relocation
to Semenyih, the Cabinet should at the latest by next Wednesday reverse
its earlier decision to relocate the Sungei Besi cemetries and declare
them a national cultural heritage on historic, cultural and environmental
grounds.
(19/7/2000)