Speech by DAP Candidate for Serdang State by-election, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, who is also DAP Organising Secretary, at the sixth DAP Serdang by-election rally at Salak South new village on Saturday, 14th December 1968.
A question for Mr. Michael Chen
A week ago, I asked the Alliance candidate, Mr. Thuan Phaik Phok, whether he support the DAP stand that “land does not belong to any one race or community, but belong to the nation, and should be given to Malaysian landless, regardless of race.”
Instead of giving a straightforward answer, Mr. Thuan tried to point out that there is a contradiction in the statement.
I do not see any contradiction. But I know the Alliance policy. To the Alliance, land is not a national property, but ‘bumiputra’ property, belonging to bumiputras, whether they are Indonesian-born Malaysians, like Celebes-born Syed Jaffar Albar or Bogor-born Syed Hussein Alatas.
When land is given to ‘non-bumiputras’, the Alliance regards this as a great concession which all ‘non-bumiputras’ must be grateful of.
Similarly, the Alliance regards citizenship not as a right of non-Malay Malaysians, but as a gift to ‘non-bumiputras’.
This is why the Alliance rejects the DAP stands that “land does not belong to any race or community, but belong to the nation and should be given to Malaysian landless, regardless of race.”
It is this Alliance attitude which explains the tardiness of land distribution in new villages, like Serdang Bahru new village, Salak South new village, Sungei Way new village.
It is now almost five years since Mr. Michael Chen promised that the Alliance will allocate land for the villagers and landless in Serdang Bahru new village. But to date, the promise is still a paper promise.
The Alliance candidate, Mr. Thuan, claims that the Alliance would allocate land after the by-election.
I hereby wish to ask Mr. Michael Chen a question: will the Alliance government, regardless of the outcome of the present Serdang by-election, whether the Alliance candidate wins or loses, fulfil its five-year long promise to allocate land in Serdang Bahru new village within a month after polling day on Dec. 28?
If Mr. Michael Chen cannot give the assurance, then the people in Serdang and outside Serdang can draw their own conclusions.
The landless of Serdang Bahru have been denied their rightful land for five years. Land is not the Alliance property, but the property of the people, and must be given to the landless.
Audited by: Joyce T. and Faiz M.