We, the paper writers and contributors to the Huazong 20 Year Plan of Action project on Transforming Malaysia, would like to express our deep concern over the actions of the Huazong Central Committee in withholding the publication and dissemination of the final report of the project. We have learnt from media reports as well as from members of the Project Executive Committee that objections have been raised to various parts of the draft report and that demands have been made to delete or revise the draft report.  

According to the initial letter of invitation sent to us, our papers were to provide the basis for “a Plan of Action setting out actionable goals and strategies for achieving the goals in the key areas of Malaysian economy and society.???  We were also assured that the Plan of Action incorporating our work would “be prepared and presented to the Government and the Malaysian public…to help to shape a dynamic, cohesive and progressive response…enabling all Malaysians to better meet the complex and rapidly changing challenges that lie ahead.???

Our participation in the project was premised on the understanding that the project would not be subject to any restriction in terms of the issues raised as well as the recommendations and proposals for action that would be contained in the report.  

This action aimed at censoring the report and making it politically palatable before it is disseminated strikes at the very freedom of expression that civil society groups such as the Huazong are supposed to embrace and is contrary to the original intent and spirit of the project.
We hope that the Huazong leadership will reconsider its decision and enable the final report to which we have contributed to be made available as soon as possible to the public and the Government. 

Signed by the following participating Scholars and Intellectuals:

1)Assoc.Prof. Dr. Azmi Sharom
2)Dr. Cecilia Ng
3)Dr. Chan Chee Khoon
4)Dr. Chin Yee Whah
5)Dr. Diana Wong
6)Dr. Farish Noor
7)Prof. Fatimah Mohd. Arshad
8)Gayathry V
9)Dr. Goh Ban Lee
10)Goh Kean Seng
11)Gurmit Singh
12)Prof. Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid
13)Prof. Dr. James Chin Ung Ho
14)Dr. Jeff Tan
15)Prof. Dr. Johan Savaranamuthu
16)Josh Hong
17)Prof Khalid Abdul Rahim
18)Dr. Lee Fah Onn
19)Dr.Lee Hwok Aun
20)Dr. Lee Hock Guan
21)Lee Phung Koon
22)Dr Lim Hong Hai
23)Prof. Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
24)Dr. Mavis Puthucheary
25)Dato’ Mohd Zaid Ibrahim
26)Mok Soon Sang
27)Prof. Dr. Rajah Rasiah
28)Dr. Shankaran Nambiar
29)Prof. Sulochana Nair
30)Tan Chai Puan
31)Tang Ah Chai
32)Dr. Toh Kin Woon
33)Dr. Voon Phin Keong
34) Dr. Wong Chin Huat
35)Prof Woo Wing Thye
36)Dr. Yoong Suan
37)Yow Lee Fung
38)Zarizana Abdul Aziz
39)Zhou Z Nam

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Hua Zong votes to abort Suqiu 2.0 project

Taken from Malaysiakini

Hua Zong, the umbrella body for Malaysian Chinese associations, yesterday stuck to its decision to dissolve the secretariat for one of its ambitious projects - the 20-Year Plan of Action for Malaysia.

Established before the 1999 general election, the Malaysian Chinese Organisations Election Appeals Committee, or Suqiu 2.0 as it has been labelled, was effectively aborted on a 23-4 vote passed at Hua Zong's central committee meeting.

The four bodies that voted against the decision, the KL & Selangor, Seremban, Johor and Penang Chinese Assembly Halls, vowed to press on with the project on their own.

The project was headed by KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) chief Tan Yew Sing, (left) who had invited three prominent scholars - Lim Teck Ghee, Toh Kin Woon and Wong Chin Huat - to draft the final report.

The aim was to gather civil society views and suggestions on major national issues on social, environmental, cultural, educational, economic and political perspectives. When completed, the plan was to publish and distribute the report to government and private agencies.

However, a dispute erupted when the draft report was seen to be too aggressive, with Hua Zong secretary-general Chua Yee Yen demanding that parts of the report be amended or deleted.

Among the controversial sections were those pushing for the abolishment of the ISA and sedition laws, and the call for the revival of local government elections.

The demands were rejected by the project committee members, who said the requested changes would lead to national regression. But the project's proponents defended the proposals, saying far from being radical, they reflected the popular views of civil society.

The project committee members also expressed worry that their report would not get published and end up in cold storage.

'Move to avoid offending the BN government'

During Hua Zong's Nov 27 central committee meeting, its president Pheng Yin Huah (left in photo) announced that the project secretariat would be dissolved as it had "accomplished its duty".

He also said the project's remaining tasks would be handed over to the sub-committees of Hua Zong.

Pheng's announcement drew a firestorm of criticism as no vote had been called on the issue and hence due process was not observed. As protests and criticisms poured in, some commentators saw the move as an attempt to avoid offending the BN government.

Set up before the 1999 general election, Suqiu put forward 17 demands on behalf of the Chinese community.

But then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in August 2000 likened Suqiu to the "communists in the past" who wanted to abolish the Malays' special position in Malaysia.

Umno Youth then staged a protest in front of the KLSCAH, forcing Suqiu to drop some of its demands.