My response to the police report lodged by MCA against me

MEDIA STATEMENT BY HANNAH YEOH, ADUN SUBANG JAYA ON 21 APRIL 2012

I have been called in to be investigated by the police for the alleged crime of defamation after a police report was lodged against me by MCA Kelana Jaya for what they claimed to be a defamatory article posted on my blog titled “MCA’s recruitment drive for phantom voters?”.

1.      Firstly, how is it possible that MCA can be defamed? In my opinion, one can only defame MCA if MCA has a good reputation to start with. MCA today is not worthy to be defamed. Instead of providing an explanation as to why the Deputy Home Minister was soliciting for foreigners and permanent residents at a MCA program, MCA has inexplicably made this to be an issue of defamation. MCA has admitted that 2000 flyers were printed and distributed calling out to those who were applying for PR or citizenship to come out and meet Dato’ Lee Chee Leong.

2.   As the Deputy Home Minister, he must explain as to why he was executing official duties and deploying government machinery at a political party’s program? MCA has admitted that they organised the program, printed, distributed those flyers and they intended to get foreigners and permanent residents to come out and meet the Deputy Home Minister. The flyer seeks to impress upon the reader that if you are applying for PR or citizenship, come to this MCA roadshow to meet the Deputy Home Minister and he will help you. According to the Star report, MCA has in fact admitted that they have ‘helped’ tens of thousands of people in the last two years to become citizens. The Home Ministry worked hand in glove with MCA here, so who in their right mind will not equate this as a vote-buying exercise? How is it that a political party can play a role in something as critical as obtaining citizenship? What is the role of the National Registration and Immigration departments? Has it been reduced to just paperwork while MCA, MIC and other BN parties do the actual screening, vetting and approvals? This is a genuine matter of national security which warrants investigation but instead the police and the Home Ministry are more concerned with investigating whether I had defamed MCA.

3.    As the elected representative of the people of Subang Jaya, it is my duty to speak up for the people, to question and to hold the government of the day accountable. When did it become a crime to question MCA or the Home Ministry? When did MCA become untouchable, unquestionable?

4.   If MCA and the Home Ministry are genuinely concerned about being defamed, then they should rightfully investigate others who have come out with claims and even evidence of foreigners being made instant citizens in exchange for votes. Not just in Peninsular Malaysia but even more so in Sabah. Prove it to all Malaysians by also investigating the son of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Ghafar Baba who very recently made a public claim at a pre-Bersih rally that the country is being sold to foreigners for the sake of winning elections. Investigate him who is still an UMNO member and prove that this 1Malaysia administration does not practice double-standards. The BN-controlled mainstream media defames Pakatan Rakyat politicians on a daily basis. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his family have been defamed in all ways possible. Lim Guan Eng and even his son have been defamed with blatant lies by BN cybertroopers. The inaction and deafening silence of the Home Ministry and MCA on these blatant cases of defamation indicates that these acts are condoned by them. The hypocrisy displayed here is simply too obvious.

5.     Finally from this latest desperate act by MCA and the Home Ministry, we hear loud and clear the message that BN is sending that they are turning to foreigners for votes and discounting Malaysians’. Last Sunday, the Deputy Home Minister went down to the ground to meet foreigners in Subang Jaya. On last Thursday, 200 stateless Malaysians went to Parliament to obtain their rightful citizenship status but no government representative was present to meet them. If MCA and the Deputy Home Minister are genuinely interested in helping the people, why didn’t they come out and help these stateless Malaysians? I along with the people of Malaysia hold MCA and the Home Ministry accountable for this travesty of injustice which has been inflicted upon the good people of this country.