Month: November 1968

Minister of Health and doctors

The DAP Organising Secretary and DAP Candidate for the Serdang State By-election, Mr.Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement (30.11.68):

In less than eight months, Dr. Ng Kam Poh had been demoted from the Minister of Health to the Minister of Welfare services. From a Minister who was in charge of disbursing $150 million a year in the Health Ministry, Dr. Ng had now only $5 million in the Welfare Ministry to fiddle about.

Why was Dr. Ng demoted? Why did Dr. Ng meekly agree to his own demotion? The public is entitled to know.

We all know that every waking minute, an intense power struggle is going in the Alliance party, whether between the UMNO and the MCA or even within the UMNO and MCA themselves.

It is also clear that Dr. Ng had upset a lot of people when he announced that he was going to make surprise visits to hospitals to check on the staff. Continue reading Minister of Health and doctors

Reply to Dr. Tan Chee Khoon

The DAP Organising Secretary and Candidate for the Serdang State By-election, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement:

It makes me sad to read Dr. Tan Chee Khoon’s press statement today accusing the DAP of distorting the Gerakan’s cultural stand.

At the challenge of Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas, Gerakan’s cultural expert, the DAP and the Gerakan had a 6½-hr debate at the MARA Auditorium on Nov. 24 under the chairmanship of Mr.D. R. Seenivasagam of PPP. Continue reading Reply to Dr. Tan Chee Khoon

Serdang by-election a test for the cause of multi-racialism

The DAP Organising Secretary and DAP Candidate for the Serdang State by-election (Selangor), Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today (28.11.68) issued the following statement after Nomination:

The Serdang State by-election is a test for the cause of multi-racialism and a Malaysian Malaysia.

Since independence, the forces of racialism and cultural and language chauvinism, as represented by the Alliance, and lately by the Gerakan as enunciated by its cultural expert, Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas, have dominated Malaysian political life.

This is why with every passing year, there is growing national division – because the various races, cultures and languages do not feel that they have a equal stake in a Malaysian nation, where there is no economic and political equality, cultural and language liberty, and social justice.

The Penang racial riots last year could be traced directly to this growing national mood of alienation among Malaysians.

All Malaysians who believe in the cause of a multi-racial Malaysia, and reject a communal and chauvinist Malaysia based on one language, one culture, must unite now to turn the tide of growing racialism. If we don’t act resolutely now, and defeat the forces of racialism in the constitutional and democratic arena, it may be too late. Continue reading Serdang by-election a test for the cause of multi-racialism

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the Great Economic Debates, 1968 series on “What are the obstacles that impede the growth of greater national cohesion among Malaysians” organised by the University of Malaya Economics Society on Tuesday, 26th November 1968 at 8 p.m.

The subject tonight is on “What are the obstacles that impede the growth of greater national cohesion among Malaysians.” But I feel the forum should more appropriately be on “What are the causes of growing national division among Malaysians.” because I do not see any greater national cohesion over the years since Merdeka.

When you come into the University from the E. P. F. way, you will be greeted by a huge hoarding board advertising the national flag and national anthem, urging the people to respect them.

If we are achieving greater national cohesion over the years, it would not have been necessary for the Alliance government to put up such hoarding, ten years after Merdeka, degrading our national symbols to the same status as advertised goods like groundnuts, beer, shoes, cigarettes, shampoo, etc.

Nor would it have been necessary ten years after Merdeka to pass a law to compel respect to the National Anthem.

In my view, the causes of growing national division among Malaysians are three. They are communalism, economic inequality and a short-sighted, incompetent and bumbling government.

Continue reading Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the Great Economic Debates, 1968 series on “What are the obstacles that impede the growth of greater national cohesion among Malaysians” organised by the University of Malaya Economics Society on Tuesday, 26th November 1968 at 8 p.m.

DAP-Gerakan Cultural Debate (Speech)

REF: LKS/16/11/68

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the DAP-Gerakan cultural debate at the MARA Auditorium on Sunday, November 24, 1968 at 10 a.m.

Mr. Chairman and fellow Malaysians.

We gather here today to debate and discuss the DAP and Gerakan cultural policy, so as to ascertain whose policy is more relevant and suitable to Malaysia.

I submit that what we are debating and discussing today is one of the most vital problems facing Malaysia, because on it will depend the success or failure of the Malaysian experiment in multi-racial nationhood. Continue reading DAP-Gerakan Cultural Debate (Speech)

Letter regarding the DAP-Gerakan Cultural Debate Venue

21.11.68

The Editor,
Eastern Sun,
Jalan Sultan,
Kuala Lumpur.

Dear Sir,

I refer to a letter by one ‘Malaysian’, which appeared in today’s Eastern Sun, 21.11.68 accusing me of trying to withdraw from the DAP-Gerakan cultural debate over the dispute over the venue.

If ‘Malaysian’ had read the Eastern Sun of Nov. 13, he would not have written such a misinformed and unfounded letter.

In the Nov. 13 report, the Eastern Sun reported me as saying:

“As Dr. Naguib Alattas insists on the MARA auditorium, I am perfectly agreeable.”

The MARA Auditorium was always acceptable to me. I had latterly suggested the Chinese Assembly Hall because I discovered that the Hall had three times the capacity as the MARA Auditorium, which could house less than 500 people.

I had thought that Dr. Syed Naguib Alatas, being the learned scholar that he is, would want more people to hear his words of wisdom and learning.

The DAP has agreed in toto to the procedures for the debate suggested by the proposed Chairman, Mr. D.R. Seenivasagam. It is now left to the Gerakan to agree, and then to wait for Nov. 24, for the two parties to explain their respective cultural policies.

Yours sincerely,

Lim Kit Siang
(Organising Secretary)
Democratic Action Party

Audited on 2021-03-17

Note related to the DAP-Gerakan cultural debate

Note related to the DAP-Gerakan Cultural Debate, filed on 21st Nov 1968:

It is today learnt from a DAP source that DAP leaders had at first certain reservations about the DAP-Gerakan cultural debate, because of its likely adverse effect on an opposition electoral understanding for the general elections next year.

The source said that the DAP realised that the Malaysian public wanted the opposition parties to reach an electoral understanding so as not to benefit the Alliance through split opposition votes arising from three-cornered or more-cornered fights.

This was why the DAP negotiated and reached an electoral agreement with the People’s Progressive Party early this year.

The source said that there was no possibility of a merger between the DAP and the Gerakan because they had divergent cultural policies. Continue reading Note related to the DAP-Gerakan cultural debate

General elections plans and preparations

Speech by DAP Organising Secretary, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the Johore DAP State Committee meeting held in Kluang on Saturday, 17th Nov. 1968 at 3.30 p.m. to discuss plans and preparations for the general elections.

After the Segamat Utara Parliamentary by-election, Alliance Ministers began to attack the DAP. Even the Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, referred specifically to the DAP when he went down to Tampoi early this month. Tun Razak said the DAP is a dangerous party. What he meant is that the DAP is dangerous to the Alliance.

If the DAP had lost badly in Segamat Utara Parliamentary by-election, no Alliance Minister, least of all Tun Abdul Razak, would have bothered to talk about the DAP. Continue reading General elections plans and preparations

MCA to make clear its stand on the proposed FAMA Fish Marketing Board Scheme

The Chairman of the Batu Pahat DAP Branch, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today (17.11.1968) asked the Malayan Chinese Association to make clear its stand on the proposed FAMA Fish Marketing Board Scheme.

Mr. Lim who is also Organising Secretary of the Party, told reporters that since that the scheme was announced at the end of last month, all organisations concerned had opposed the scheme – whether wholesalers, retailers or the fishermen themselves.

The DAP had also from the start criticised the scheme as likely to cause hardship and unemployment to tens of thousands of fish-mongers, raise the price of fish for the consumers, without bringing any appreciable benefit to the fishermen. Continue reading MCA to make clear its stand on the proposed FAMA Fish Marketing Board Scheme

DAP Central Executive Committee to meet on general election plans and preparations

The Organising Secretary of the Democratic Action Party, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today (17.11.1968) issued the following statement:

The Central Executive Committee of the DAP will meet in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow to discuss and review general election plans and preparations.

The Party has been greatly encouraged by the Segamat Utara Parliamentary by-election results last month. Continue reading DAP Central Executive Committee to meet on general election plans and preparations