FEDERATION OF MALAYA TROOPS IN THE CONGO

The Prime Minister: Mr Speaker, Sir, I have His Excellency the Yang di-Pertuan Negara's recommendation to proceed with this motion*.

*The motion reads as follows:

That this House, in appreciation of their work to preserve peace, and prevent civil war and foreign intervention in the Congo, resolves that a sum of $10,000 be donated to the cheer of troops of the Federation of Malaya serving under United Nations command in the Congo.

At the last Assembly sitting, when my colleagues the Minister for Culture was moving his motion for a sum of $10,000 for the Aid to Algeria Fund, the Member for Cairnhill remarked in the course of the debate that, whilst we were ready to make a gesture to the people of Algeria, we appeared unwilling to make any gesture to the troops of the Federation of Malaya serving in the Congo. I had on that occasion, Sir, stated that we would be happy to contribute to the Cheer Fund for the Federation troops in the Congo, and this motion of $10,000 is to ask the House for authority to make that contribution.

Since we last met, the situation in the Congo has been contained by the determined stand of the uncommitted nations not to allow the Congo to become a cold war arena. Members will now know that since then the Indian Government has decided to send several thousand combat troops to serve under the United Nations Command in the Congo. This step has put a brake on the trend to withdraw troops under the United Nations Command from the Congo. Had the trend continued, a grave situation of civil war plus foreign intervention on all sides of the civil war could well have led to a dangerous world situation.

Mr Speaker, Sir, this token of $10,000 is our appreciation for the efforts made by all in the cause of peace in Africa.

Question proposed.

3.05 p.m.

Tun Lim Yew Hock (Cairnhill): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to welcome the motion before the House, and the welcome is the greater because it is as a result of what the Opposition had suggested during the debate on the motion on Algeria at the sitting on 22nd February, and not at the last but one sitting.

Sir, the Prime Minister has said that in the course of the debate on the motion on Algeria, I remarked that the Government appeared to be unwilling to contribute towards this Congo Cheer Fund. I did not say so. I just suggested that the Government perhaps could favourably consider donating a contribution towards the Congo Cheer Fund. The Prime Minister in his reply that day, Sir, while welcoming the suggestion, did try to suggest something which I did not suggest. He suggested that I suggested that money should be contributed to the Berita Harian Congo Cheer Fund. Surely, Sir, as the Prime Minister should know, when a government contributes any money towards anything, it is for that government to write to the government of the recipient country and send the donation through that channel, it does not have to employ any other channel.

Sir, we are very happy that the Government, in this instance, has acted so promptly on a suggestion from the Opposition, and we thank the Government for that.

Mr Speaker: Mr Prime Minister, in reply?

The Prime Minister: I have nothing to add to the rather intricate explanation that the Member of the Opposition has given.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House, in appreciation of their work to preserve peace, and prevent civil war and foreign intervention in the Congo, resolves that a sum of $10,000 be donated to the cheer of troops of the Federation of Malaya serving under United Nations command in the Congo.