Will Suqiu Committee be asked to drop more than seven of its 83-point election appeals as a result of further government "study"?

(Petaling Jaya, Saturday): Before the public controversy as to what the UMNO Youth-Suqiu Committee Joint Statement  of 5th January 2001 meant and what actually transpired in  the various talks between the two parties could settle down,  the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has upped the ante with a complete new intepretation of the episode.

Until Mahathir’s statement in Sik yesterday, the controversy revolved around four  issues:
 

• Whether the 83-point Suqiu election appeals questioned and  challenged Article 153 of the Malaysian Constitution on the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the states of Sabah and Sarawak - which  the Suqiu Committee had until then repeatedly denied.
• Why Suqiu Committee had to enter into discussions with UMNO Youth.
• Whether Suqiu Committee had "dropped", "withdrawn" or "retracted"  seven of its 83-point election appeals as having "touched on the special position and rights of the Bumiputeras", with the UMNO Youth leader, Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein publicly claiming this is the case but the Suqiu Committee leaders denying it in the Chinese media.
• Why the Suqiu Committee had to "put aside", "drop", "withdraw" or "retract’ seven of the 83-point election appeals when even the MCA President  Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik  had said that only one or two or  2% of the appeals are questionable.

But Mahathir’s Sik statement yesterday has given a completely new and unexpected meaning to the word "acceptable"  when he said that the Government is studying the implications of the remaining points by Suqiu, stating that there would be another round of discussions with Suqiu  "If the points could lead to disharmony…so that such things are not raised again".

Does this mean that the Suqiu Committee could be asked to drop more than seven of its 83-point election appeals as a result of the government "study"?

Mahathir said Suqiu leaders accepted the special position of the Malays and the status of Islam as official religion of the country.

He said: "They have admitted they misunderstood and promised not to raise such matters again.  I hope they will not raise them before future elections."

Had the Suqiu leaders made such an admission and given such an undertaking?

From statements from the Suqiu Committee, Mahathir’s understanding of the UMNO Youth-Suqiu Committee is very different from those of the Suqiu leaders.

The Suqiu  Committee is duty-bound to put to rest all the conflicting understandings and perceptions about the UMNO Youth-Suqiu Committee Joint Statement and the series of discussions preceding it  by way of a comprehensive and definitive statement to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Malaysian public - particularly the over 2,000 organisations which had endorsed and given full support to the 83-point Suqiu election appeals as to what actually transpired and the agreement reached between Suqiu Committee and UMNO Youth on January 5, 2001.

(27/1/2001)