Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, when declaring open the Pudu Table-Tennis Competition organised by Pudu DAP Branch at the Branch premises, at 2A, Jalan Pasar Bahru, Pudu, Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 22nd August 1968 at 8 p.m.
The Pudu DAP Branch has organised this table-tennis competition to provide healthy recreational outlets for the youngsters of Pudu.
The youths of Malaysia are facing many complex problems, including those caused by the high rate of unemployment in towns.
Social unrest and indiscipline have worsened over the years. Between 1964 and 1967, the number of juvenile delinquency cases have doubled, from 208 cases to 400 cases.
In 1957, there were 67 reported cases of gang robbery and 297 cases of ordinary robbery. By last year, these figures have multiplied five to six times. There were 301 cases of gang robbery and 1,876 cases of robbery in 1967.
These figures show up the failure of the government, not only to maintain law and order, but also to instill among our people, particularly our youths, a sense of social purpose in life.
The DAP is particularly concerned about the problems of youths, because Malaysia is a nation of youths, with 60 per cent of her population under 25 years of age.
It is also difficult to expect an old man to understand the new aspirations of the youth. It is for this reason that the Minister of Youth, 50-year-old Inche Senu bin Abdul Rahman, and his 40-year-old Assistant Minister, Ungku Mohsein, should immediately resign to allow youths to run the Youth Ministry.
Bukit Bintang is no stranger to the ideals and the cause the Democratic Action Party is fighting to achieve. In the last general elections, 6,667 voters of Bukit Bintang supported the fight for a Malaysian Malaysia.
The Alliance M.P. won the Bukit Bintang seat on a minority vote.
In the next elections, we are confident that the voters of Bukit Bintang, who are tired of eleven years of Alliance incompetence, inefficiency, corruption, racialism and immorality, will endorse the crusade for a Malaysian nation where there is cultural and socialist democracy, and where there is a clean and honest government; we are confident that Bukit Bintang will be one of the constituencies in the next general elections which will return a DAP Member of Parliament, and help bring earlier the day when Malaysian Malaysia will be a reality and a fact for ourselves and our new generation.
Audited on 2021-04-21.