The DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today (3.10.68) issued the following statement:
In the Straits Times today, the Alliance executive secretary, Mr. Robert Goh said the Alliance hopes to dissolve its component communal parties, UMNO, MCA and MIC, to form a non-communal political party in a decade or two.
He further claimed that the introduction of the direct membership system by the Alliance two years ago had been an effort towards this goal.
Mr. Robert Goh is trying to pull wool over the people’s eye.
There were two reasons for the formation of the direct Alliance membership system.
They were:
1. To absorb Ceylonese, Eurasians, and other minority groups, who until then could only be associate members, either of the UMNO, MCA or MIC. Until the institution of the direct membership system, the Alliance was unable to answer opposition charges that the Alliance rejects other races and minority groups in the country.
2. Even more important, the direct membership system was formed to absorb frustrated Chinese and Indians who cannot get along in the MCA or MIC, for personal reasons. Even persons who have been expelled from MCA or MIC have been offered membership in the Alliance through the direct system.
There is not a single Malay member or official in the direct Alliance party. Only the Malays or Indians can be frustrated and discontented with the MCA or MIC. The may be accepted in the Alliance if they have UMNO patrons. But many Malay discontented and frustrated with the UMNO will find no place in the Alliance, direct membership system or not, because UMNO runs the show in the Alliance.
The direct Alliance membership party, therefore, is no more than an opportunistic organisation to absorb racialists who could not get along with fellow-racialists in the MCA or MIC.
No one can see how such persons, many of whom are political has-beens form a whole spectrum of ex-political parties, could be the pioneers in the movement to Malaysianise outlook and attitudes of our citizens.
If Mr. Robert Goh and the Alliance are truly sincere in wanting to have multi-racial movements, they should dissolve the UMNO, MCA and MIC immediately.
The argument that there is tendency for Chinese to join MCA, Malay to join UMNO and Indians to join MCA, is no justification for the existence of racial political organisations.
Will Mr. Goh suggest, just because there are some who might have a propensity to use religion as a divisive political issue, that the Alliance should form a fifth component party for such people?
Audited on 2021-05-03.