Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the DAP Segamat Utara Parliamentary by-election rally at Batu Anam on Wednesday, October 16, 1968 at 8 p.m.
During the recent Johore Bahru Town Council Commission of Inquiry hearings, the people learn of the shocking way in which the Alliance ran the affairs of Johore Bahru.
The Alliance-controlled council paid $85,000 for a wall which costs $1,500. There were $80,429 of expenditure which had no receipts.
Town councilors, who are allowed $10 a day as outstation allowance, are given $30 instead. Nobody knows whether the councilors actually went outstation or not, because the allowance are given in advance.
State Assemblymen, like Syed Mohamed Edros, are allowed to put up houses without an approved plan. Hawkers’ stalls are allocated by the councilors to relatives and friends.
There was the Council book-keeper, who drew an all-in salary of $200, who bought a house from the former Assistant State Treasurer for $27,000.
All these and other irregularities are common in the Alliance administration throughout the country.
This is why the DAP has so often called for a strict law to prevent public officials, like Ministers, political and parliamentary secretaries, Mentri2 Besar, State Executive Councillors, Members of Parliament and State Assemblymen from making use of their public position for political gain.
We have called for a law to compel every public officer, whether he is a Minister, Mentri Besar or State Executive Councillor, to declare his income and assets publicly every year, and to confiscate every cent which could not be legitimately accounted for.
The Alliance is opposed to such a law, because they have too much to hide. They have too many Abdul Rahman Talibs. Instead of punishing Abdul Rahman Talib, they made him Malaysian Ambassador to Cairo, and used $88,000 of public funds to pay for Talib’s legal expenses.
It is clear that we cannot depend on the Alliance to wipe out corruption. The anti-corruption agency which the government set up recently is only a eye-wash to deceive the people during election time.
I want to say a word about the MCA Youth Leader, Mr. Lee San Choon, here. Mr. Lee San Choon, who is also M.P. for Segamat Selatan, said in many rallies here that Alliance M.Ps had served their areas well.
I want to ask Mr. Lee San Choon why he ran away from Kluang Utara Parliamentary constituency, where he was M.P. in 1959, to Segamat Selatan in 1964 general elections? This is because he had not served the voters of Kluang Utara from 1959 to 1964.
Since 1964, while elected M.P. for Segamat Selatan, Mr. Lee has also failed to look after the interest of Segamat. I am sure that in 1969, if he is re-nominated to stand for elections, he will have to run away either to Pontian or Muar.
Mr. Lee San Choon represents the type of Alliance M.P.s who talk big but never serves the people.
On 19th October, we urge the people of Segamat to reject the Lee San Choon and the Alliance, and vote for the Rocket which stands for a clean, honest and incorruptible movement.
Audited on 2021-05-03.