DAP Chairman Lim Kit Siang accused the mainstream media for not reporting the agreement reached by his party and PAS on the kharaj issue last week, but had instead continue to highlight the negative implications of the controversial land tax on non-Muslims.
"The mass media blacked out reports about the breakthrough agreement reached between DAP and PAS that the kharaj would not be imposed against the wishes of the non-Muslims," he said.
He specifically singled out The Star newspaper for criticism. According to Lim, the best-selling English tabloid ran a report "Non-Muslim body objects to kharaj proposal" on Dec 16 and " Kharaj will scare investors" on Dec 18, only days after the PAS-DAP meeting.
Last week, the DAP sent a 9-member delegation to Terengganu and Kelantan to meet PAS leaders from the two states. Lim reported that breakthrough had been reached on a number of key issues.
Quoting Terengganu Mentri Besar Hadi Ahmad Awang, Lim said, "Hadi gave assurance that the state PAS government would fully respect the rights and sensitivities of non-Muslims and the principle of having the fullest public consultation would apply not only to kharaj but to all other proposals which could be perceived as affecting the rights and sensitivities of other races and religions."
"DAP leaders found the dialogues with Hadi, Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz and other PAS leaders very satisfactory and productive," he added.
Commenting on the effort to amend the state constitution to allow nominated assemblymen to represent ethnic minorities in the two states, Lim said that the party welcomed the open-minded attitude of both Hadi and Nik Aziz on the proposal.
"The Terengganu state government also assured that it would appoint Chinese in the municipal and district councillors, with two seats reserved for Chinese in the Kuala Terengganu Municipal Council when it is reconstituted shortly," said Lim.
On another issue discussed at the dialogue between the two parties, Lim said that both Hadi and Nik Aziz have given serious consideration to grant a fixed and regular allocation to Chinese and Tamil primary schools as recognition and appreciation of their contribution to national development. He pointed out that the federal government had not been forthcoming in allocating funds to these schools.
"Hadi also gave an assurance that the state government would observe the principle of justice and be fair in the allocation of development projects, low-cost housing and hawker licences and stalls, all based on need," Lim said, adding that there would be no discrimination because of race or cronyism as practiced by the previous BN state government.
Lim also said that the party welcomes the decision of the Terengganu state government to lift the ban on pig rearing which was imposed by the BN state government for the past 10 years. "I cannot understand how MCA could agree to the ban when it had a state exco member," Lim said.
According to Lim, the PAS-led Terengganu government had the best start of any new government in the 42-year Malaysian history.
Lim said that the abolition of the bridge toll, three-month maternity leave in the state civil service, Hadi's leadership by example in not staying in the Menteri Besar's official resident, the decision that all state exco members would publicly declare their assets, and the establishment of the hisbah protfolio to deal with public complaints over wrongdoings in the state government are some of the things which the federal government can learn from Terengganu.
However, Lim was chastised by The Star senior news editor Wong Chun Wai in his Sunday "On the Beat" column, that he and DAP could be seen by the Chinese community for being "apologists" for PAS.
"There is no reason for non-Muslims to thank Hadi for his assurances that Buddhists and Christians would be allowed to build their own places of worship. That is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution," wrote Wong.
"Neither should non-Muslims be relieved by his statement that non-Muslims would be appointed to various municipal and district councils. These are minor concessions by PAS to get support of non-Muslims for a greater agenda of setting up an Islamic state, which the PAS leaders have openly stated," he added.
Lim had issued a strong three-part rebuttal, arguing that he suffered the pain of being detained twice under the Internal Security Act, not to be an apologist for PAS, but for justice, freedom and democracy for all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion.
Media tutup berita persefahaman DAP-PAS
Ajinder Kaur
7pm, ISN : Pengerusi DAP, Lim Kit Siang mengecam media arus rasmi kerana tidak melaporkan persefahaman antara parti itu dengan sekutunya dalam Barisan Alternatif, PAS, berhubung isu kharaj minggu lepas, tetapi sebaliknya media terus menimbulkan berita-berita negatif mengenai cukai tanah ke atas orang bukan Islam.
"Media massa sengaja tidak melaporkan berita mengenai persefahaman bermakna yang dicapai antara DAP dengan PAS bahawa kharaj tidak akan diperkenalkan tanpa mengambil kira pandangan kaum bukan Islam," jelasnya.
Beliau secara khusus merujuk The Star dalam kritikannya. Menurut Lim, akhbar harian berbahasa Inggeris yang paling tinggi edarannya itu melaporkan "Non-Muslim body objects to kharaj proposal" (pertubuhan bukan Islam membantah kharaj ) pada 16 Disember dan " Kharaj will scare investors" ( kharaj akan menakutkan pelabur) pada 18 Disember, hanya beberapa hari selepas pertemuan PAS-DAP yang dianggap bermakna itu.
Minggu lepas, DAP menghantar satu rombongan sembilan anggota ke Terengganu dan Kelantan untuk berbincang dengan pemimpin-pemimpin PAS negeri. Kit Siang pada Jumaat lalu melaporkan, hasil pertemuan tersebut, beberapa kejayaan telah dicapai dalam beberapa isu utama.
Sambil memetik pandangan Menteri Besar Terengganu, Abdul Hadi Awang, Kit Siang berkata, "Hadi memberi jaminan bahawa kerajaan negeri pimpinan PAS akan menghormati sepenuhnya hak-hak dan perasaan kaum bukan Islam dan juga mengutamakan prinsip 'syura rakyat' dalam semua dasar yang bakal diperkenalkan, bukan hanya isu kharaj , jika sekiranya ia melibatkan kepentingan kaum dan agama lain."
"Pemimpin-pemimpin DAP mendapati perbincangan dengan Hadi dan Menteri Besar Kelantan Nik Abdul Aziz dan pemimpin-pemimpin PAS lain sungguh berjaya dan produktif," tambahnya.
Mengenai usaha PAS meminda perlembagaan negeri agar kerajaan dapat melantik wakil kaum-kaum minoriti di dua buah negeri itu, Kit Siang berkata partinya mengalu-alukan sikap terbuka Hadi dan Nik Aziz dalam hal itu.
"Kerajaan Terengganu turut memberi jaminan bahawa ia akan melantik wakil kaum Cina dalam majlis perbandaran dan juga majlis daerah, dan dua kekosongan diperuntukkan untuk kaum Cina di Majlis Perbandaran Kuala Terengganu sebaik sahaja perlantikan baru dibuat," jelas Kit Siang lagi.
Kit Siang juga berkata Hadi dan Nik Aziz akan mempertimbangkan bantuan untuk sekolah-sekolah rendah Cina dan Tamil sebagai tanda penghargaan ke atas sumbangan kaum-kaum ini kepada pembangunan nasional. Beliau menegaskan bahawa kerajaan persekutuan tidaklah begitu serius menyediakan bantuan seumpama ini.
"Hadi turut memberikan jaminan bahawa kerajaan negeri akan mengutamakan prinsip-prinsip keadilan dalam membahagikan projek pembangunan, rumah kos rendah dan lesen-lesen penjaja serta gerai, berdasarkan keperluan," kata Kit Siang, sambil menambah tidak akan ada diskriminasi berdasarkan kaum atau amalan kronisme sebagai mana yang diamalkan oleh kerajaan negeri dahulu di bawah Barisan Nasional.
Kit Siang juga berkata partinya mengalu-alukan keputusan kerajaan negeri menarik larangan menternak khinzir yang diperkenalkan oleh kerajaan BN selama hampir 10 tahun. "Saya tidak faham bagaimana MCA boleh bersetuju mengenai langkah ini sedangkan seorang anggota exco parti itu berada dalam majlis mesyuarat kerajaan," jelasnya lagi.
Menurut Kit Siang, kerajaan Terengganu pimpinan PAS telah memulakan langkah-langkah terbaik yang tidak pernah dibuat oleh sebarang kerajaan negeri sebelum ini sepanjang 42 tahun kemerdekaan negara.
Kit Siang turut berkata langkah-langkah menghapuskan tol, peruntukan cuti bersalin selama 90 hari kepada kakitangan awam, contoh kepimpinan Hadi yang tidak mahu tinggal di kediaman rasmi, anggota-anggota exco diwajibkan mengisytiharkan harta kepada umum, pembentukan jawatankuasa hisbah bagi menerima aduan orang ramai mengenai salahlaku kerajaan negeri merupakan panduan yang boleh dipelajari kerajaan persekutuan dari negeri itu.
Bagaimanapun, Kit Siang dikritik hebat oleh Pengarang Kanan Berita The Star Wong Chun Wai dalam kolumnya setiap Ahad, "On the Beat," dengan menyatakan Kit Siang dan DAP hanya dilihat di mata kaum Cina sebagai "apologis" kepada PAS.
"Tidak ada sebab kaum bukan Islam harus berterima kasih kepaad Hadi atas jaminannya bahawa penganut agama Buddha dan Kristian dibenarkan membina tempat-tempat ibadat masing-masing. Hak itu sudah diperuntukkan dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan," tulis Wong.
"Begitu dalam soal melantik wakil-wakil kaum dalam majlis perbandaran dan majlis daerah, masyarakat bukan Islam tidak sepatutnya mengucapkan terima kasih. Ini semua langkah kecil PAS untuk mengambil hati dan sokongan bukan Islam bagi mencapai hasrat besar mereka ke arah penubuhan negara Islam, seperti mana yang telah disuarakan secara terbuka oleh pemimpin-pemimpin PAS," tambahnya.
Kit Siang dalam satu hujah balas menjawab bahawa beliau mengalami penderitaan ditahan dua kali di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA), bukannya apologis bagi pihak PAS, semata-mata kerana mempertahankan keadilan, kebebasan dan demokrasi untuk semua rakyat Malaysia, tanpa mengira kaum dan agama.
