Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz told the DAP forum - 'The 1988 Judiciary Crisis: To Review or Not?' - held on Sept 11 that he was unconvinced of the need to review the sacking of former Lord President Salleh Abbas and Supreme Courts judges Wan Suleiman and George Seah.

He remained unconvinced despite the persuasive and cogent arguments presented by the distinguished panel of speakers comprising Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh, Malaysian Bar Council chairperson Yeo Yang Poh, Hakam president Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Tommy Thomas, who was the former Lord President's counsel.

There were also strong arguments from the audience who packed the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur that night.

Nazri said he would not raise this matter in the cabinet because he remained unconvinced of any "material change in evidence or circumstances."

Among others, the minister argued: "If you think the BN (Barisan Nasional) was wrong, vote them out", "I can always organise a bigger BN rally to say 'No' to review" and "There must be finality or you'll open the floodgates."

His remarks left the audience shaking their heads in despair. One self-proclaimed 'diehard' BN supporter stood up and expressed his great disappointment to the minister.

Whatever said and done, Nazri should be commended for his courage to attend the forum and engage the audience in the spirit of democratic discourse, which is unique amongst ministers here. Much as we would like to criticize Nazri for refusing to restore the independence of the judiciary and justice by vindicating the three maligned judges, the minister is only continuing the BN philosophy of disseminating misinformation or mixing lies with half-truths.

Enemy of the state

Also known as the 'Big Lie', this was perfected by Adolf Hitler's Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels who said: "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the state can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the state to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the state."

The practitioners of such dishonest and unscrupulous tactics start young among Umno leaders such as Khairy Jamaluddin, the Umno Youth deputy chief and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son-in-law.

Khairy has been severely criticised by former premier Dr Mahathir, and to fend off this assault, the 31-year-old politician played the dangerous game of racial sentiments:

- warning the Malays to unite or the Chinese would take advantage of their weakness and split by making more unreasonable demands.

- championing the plight of poor Malays and claiming that Penang Malays are marginalised and the failure to achieve the targeted New Economic Policy's 30% bumi equity with the present bumi equity at only 18.9%.

Using the Chinese as a bogeyman is the oldest, cheapest and dirtiest political trick in Umno's book to distract public attention from their political troubles. That it was untrue was unimportant, what was important was its expediency. But the public disdain and disenchantment was palpable.

That an Oxford graduate had to resort to the Big Lie and appeal to racial and base sentiments to save his political position shows that there is no hope for Umno to be multi-racial and multi-religious in taking a Malaysian approach.

If an Oxford graduate who has achieved success by the dint of his efforts has no confidence to tell the Malays that they can better themselves by being competitive, seeking equal opportunity and excellence to emulate his success, then what hope is there for creating the 'Towering Malays' favoured by his father-in-law.

MCA had demanded an apology, but Khairy refused. According to him, "One should never apologise for defending one's race and religion." Not surprisingly MCA backed down like a 'turtle withdrawing its head' when Umno Youth President Hishamuddin Hussein expressed his anger at such lese majeste.

Who made it rich?

Millionaire Khairy lied that the NEP has not achieved the 30% bumi equity. This is because the 18.9% bumi equity is based on par value of share capital of limited companies. The Ninth Malaysian Plan (9MP) claims that in 2004, the Chinese own 39%, Indians 1.2%, nominee companies 8%, others 0.4% and foreigners 32.5%.

Par value of share capital is a false reflection of the real or true worth of the company. As a millionaire from his previous RM 9.2 million shareholdings in ECM-Libra, which he has since sold, Khairy should know that real worth is not based on par value but market value of bumi equity of all listed companies in BM.

In fact bumi and Malay interests of the total market capitalisation of BM of RM715 billion as at Sept 30, 2005 exceeds 45%. With foreigners at 30%, this means that non-Malays only control 25% of BM's market capitalisation. Malaysians, especially poor Malays, should not be extending the NEP to attain the 30% bumi equity but seek to identify who are the rich Malays who control 45% or RM325 billion of BM's market capitalisation. (see the Feb 2006 report by Professor Dr Lim Teck Ghee of the Centre for Public Policy Studies)

There is neither logic nor reason in talking about Malays being marginalised in Penang, when Penang recorded the lowest poverty rate in the country at 0.3%. What about poor Malays living in the states of Sabah (23%), Kelantan (10.6%), Terengganu ( 15.4%), Kedah (7%) and Perlis (6.3%) which suffer the highest poverty rate? And what about other non-Malays who are poor? Not every Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban is a millionaire. Or can afford to spend RM3.5 million like Roslan Hashim from Malacca to host the wedding of the year.

Malaysia has the worst income inequality in South-East Asia. According to the 9MP, the share of income of the bottom 40% of the population declined from 14.5% in 1990 to 13.5% in 2004 whilst the share of the top 20% of the population increased from 50% in 1990 to 51.2% in 2004. The gini coefficient , a measure of income inequality, has worsened within the respective ethnic groups for the period 1999 to 2004. (see chart)

The income inequality between rich and poor bumis is the worst compared to other ethnic groups. That is why there are many poor Malays and non-Malays who neither own shares nor APs. Malaysians, especially Malays, who do not possess millions of shares or imported vehicles, should focus on the important question: Who are the rich Malays that have benefitted?

They should not be distracted by the lies of millionaire Umno leaders who do not wish to answer this question and try to distract attention.

Penang CM attacked

Pak Lah, his deputy Najib Abdul Razak and Hishammuddin have also indulged in some Big Lie tactics of their own by refusing to condemn Umno Youth members who demonstrated with banners and humiliated Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon to his face with slogans at an Umno event.

In breach of basic protocol, Koh's name was not even mentioned during the event despite being invited as an official guest in his capacity as Penang chief minister.

As the ruling party, Umno does not need to resort to demonstrations. Umno has demonstrated against the United States and Jews. Is Umno equating Koh with the Jews?

Koh appeared to have capitulated by agreeing to Najib's suggestion for the powers of the Umno deputy chief minister to be strengthened to help marginalised Malays. This ignores the overwhelming mandate that Koh obtained in the last general election to be a chief minister with power and not one without power. Again no mention is made by Umno of their failure to honour their promise to rotate the position of the Sabah chief minister post amongst all ethnic groups.

Even Mahathir has fallen victim to the Big Lie with the specious argument that Umno members should not vote for him in order to honour his contributions. As a mark of respect, Umno members were told to let him sit amongst the VIPs in the front at the Umno general assembly instead of voting for him and making him sit at the back with the delegates.

The government is not worried about being exposed applying the Goebbels' dictum, "The lie can be maintained only for such time as the state can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie." So long as the people can be satisfied economically, the government believes that the Big Lie can be maintained.

2007 Budget

The 2007 Budget is called the people's Budget despite failing to increase the disposable income of ordinary Malaysians, especially for lower and middle-income groups. Instead the 2007 Budget has taken a different approach by increasing tax relief and reducing costs instead of increasing pay or disposable income. What is the use of giving tax relief when we do not earn enough to pay income tax? Anyone would prefer having more income to pay income tax than to having not enough income to pay income tax.

Unfortunately despite rising inflation and difficult economic times, the situation now is deemed not serious enough to pose any threat to the government. So the Big Lie continues.

Should we submit to the Big Lie so that we can get on nonchalantly with our lives? Or take a pro-active approach when we see the storm clouds of difficult economic times gathering and demand a full accountability of all the revenue and oil earnings of the nation to determine where all the money has gone?

The huge public interest, transcending the legal fraternity, in the DAP forum augurs hope that Malaysians are not imprisoned by immediate concerns but care enough about major principles. What we saw on Sept 11 in the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall was a yearning for an end to Big Lies even those going as far back as 18 years ago.

In the next 18 months, may this yearning for an end to the Big Lies turn into reality and be translated into a full accounting at the ballot box.

LIM GUAN ENG, a former Kota Melaka member of parliament, is secretary-general of DAP.