The DAP Candidate for Serdang, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, who is also DAP Organising Secretary, today issued the following statement:
At the Gerakan Serdang by-election public rally in Serdang Bahru new village last Sunday, 8th December 1968, the Gerakan Secretary-General, Dr. Tan Chee Khoon asserted that the DAP and myself have branded the people of Serdang Bahru and Salak South new villages as ‘communists.’
This is a downright lie. I have never said or thought any such thing, nor is it the view of the DAP.
I invite Dr. Tan Chee Khoon to substantiate his statement, to state where and when I or the DAP had made any such statement.
If Dr, Tan cannot substantiate his statement that I and the DAP had branded the people of Serdang Bahru and Salak South new villages as ‘communists’, he should publicly withdraw his statement at a public rally in Serdang bahru specially called for the purpose, and apologise.
I have never expected such low and dirty tactics to come from Dr. Tan Chee Khoon, whom we all know to be a God-fearing lay preacher. It came as a shock to me and my colleagues in the DAP that Dr. Tan should now resort to character-assassination and party-smearing.
I can well understand Dr. Tan’s anguish and sense of desperation for the future of Gerakan, particularly after the cultural debate with the DAP, where the Gerakan was exposed as a party with exactly the Alliance’s policy of wanting ‘one nation, one language, one culture’ and unconditionally opposed to multi-lingualism.
We read from newspapers steady resignations from the Gerakan of Gerakan officials and members who have learnt for the first time the Gerakan’s cultural policy and are disillusioned by it. Even the Jimah branch in Seremban, described by Dr. Tan Chee Khoon himself at a recent Seremban public rally as the strongest Gerakan branch, has resigned en bloc.
We can understand Dr. Tan’s sense of desperation and despair. But there is no justification whatsoever for Dr. Tan to resort to downright dishonesty and defamation of political opponents, and descend to the level of unscrupulous and unprincipled Alliance politicians, who are in the habit of launching malicious smear and whisper campaigns.
I await Dr. Tan’s substantiation of his charge, or his unconditional withdrawal of the statement and apology at a public rally at Serdang Bahru specially called for the purpose.
Audited by: Joyce T. and Faiz M.