Statement by DAP Organising Secretary and Parliamentary Candidate for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a Press Conference in Kuala Lumpur on 29th April 1969 at 12.30p.m.
1. A challenge to Mr. Khaw Kai Boh
At a press conference yesterday, the MCA National Vice President, Mr. Khaw Kai Boh, alleged that two weeks ago, I had written a letter to China Press warning it not to publish any news which are detrimental to DAP interests.
This is a downright lie. I challenge Mr.Khaw Kai Boh to stake his entire political reputation and career on this allegation. If he cannot prove this allegation, that I have warned the China Press not to publish any news detrimental to DAP, then he should step down and retire from the political arena in disgrace – as a man not fit to be a politician. If he can prove that I had warned the China Press not to publish any news detrimental to DAP interest, I am prepared to step down from the Malaysian political arena.
I am shocked that Mr. Khaw Kai Boh has gone so bankrupt of ideas that he is now resorting to unashamed falsehoods. I know that Mr. Khaw is particularly adept in concocting falsehoods and lies, because he was formerly Director of Singapore Special Branch before he fled from the island-state following the assumption of power by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and the People’s Action Party in 1959.
Mr. Khaw apparently thinks that just as during the Lim Yew Hock days in Singapore politics in 1959, the government leaders can make unfounded and irresponsible allegations with impunity, he now wants to import the unscrupulous, unprincipled and dirty politics of the Lim Yew Hock days into Malaysia.
I will not allow Mr. Khaw Kai Boh to do this.
In contrast to Mr. Khaw Kai Boh, who had spent the major part of his lifetime intimidating people, I was and am a journalist. In fact, I was seven years ago Secretary- General of Singapore National Union of Journalists, and I will never condone any attempt by any quarter to intimidate the press, or demand them to toe one-party line.
Mr. Khaw Kai Boh has made a serious allegation against me. I have now issued a serious challenge to him. I hope Mr. Khaw has the responsibility, courage and manliness to accept my challenge.
2. The MCA and UMCO
I know why Mr. Khaw Kai Boh is so furious with me. This is because I have exposed the lies and falsehoods of the UMCO.
I have good reason to say that the entire UMCO elections campaign and candidature in Negri Sembilan is financed by the MCA, to split opposition votes so as to benefit the Alliance candidates.
The UMCO have been encouraged by MCA leaders, like Mr. Khaw Kai Boh, to utter all sorts of falsehoods about the DAP, like the DAP and myself are opposed to Malaysian literature being written in the Chinese language.
As this is sheer distortion, I had to declare that if the UMCO officials cannot substantiate its allegation, I may be forced to resort to legal action for redress. I also informed the press about this.
This declaration on my part has thoroughly exposed the falsehood of the MCA-inspired UMCO allegations.
3. Mr. Khaw Kai Boh’s CIA Tactics
With the approach of May 10 polling day, Alliance leaders like Mr. Khaw Kai Boh, are getting more and more irrational and hysterical because they find that they are not as popular and beloved by the people as they had originally thought. Wherever they went, the people turned away from them, expressed contempt for them and even despised them.
In desperation, they are concocting all sorts of irresponsible statements and invented the most inconceivable allegations.
Mr. Khaw Kai Boh accuses the DAP of using ‘Peking tactics’, whatever that means. Does his mean that we in the DAP are supposed to be following the footsteps of Mao Tse Tung in our unyielding resolve and determination to fight for one’s objectives, who succeeded in uniting a divided and downtrodden country like China from a weak, despised and broken country into one of the superpowers of the day, strong, united, powerful and high-respected and feared?
Or does it mean the DAP has become communists?
Mr. Khaw Kai Boh is a very mixed-up and confused man by now. But whatever Mr. Khaw Kai Boh may say, there is no doubt that Mao Tse Tung ranks as one of the greatest leaders of man the 20th century. Mr. Khaw Kai Boh does not agree, because his years in Lim Yew Hock’s special branch have made him idolise people like Lim Yew Hock and probably Richard Hixon.
Mr. Khaw Kai Boh has launched a ‘CIA’ campaign employing CIA tactics, trying to create fear and scare by a whole lot of unfounded allegations. We do not copy tactics and strategy from anybody. But the Alliance does. The Alliance has a foreigner to mastermind and direct its general elections campaign. Dare Mr. Khaw deny that this foreigner is not a CIA agent, and explain what he is doing in Malaysia?
Mr. Khaw states that I will lose my deposit in Bandar Melaka Parliamentary constituency. Dare Mr. Khaw stake his whole future on this statement: That if he is proved wrong, he will self-exile himself from Malaysia, and go and make a home in America?
4. Tunku’s Statement in Jinjang on relationship with China.
Tunku Abdul Rahman at a public rally at Jinjang yesterday said that if China stop interfering with Malaysian affairs, Malaysia is prepared to consider establishing diplomatic ties with her.
Can Tunku Abdul Rahman first of all stop interfering with China’s Internal affairs, which she did when she joined and convened the World Anti-Communist League in Formosa in 1967, which was pledged to overthrow the Mao Tse Tung regime in China. Can Tunku Abdul Rahman or Tun Tan Siew Sin or Mr. Khaw Kai Boh overthrow Mao Tse Tung in China? Tunku had already publicly declared that he would surrender first if a nation, ten times the size of Malaysia, attacks us – which includes not only China, but Indonesia as well!
The Tunku’s Jinjang speech will be more believable if he immediately withdraw Malaysia from the American-sponsored World Anti-Communist League – which is a blatant attempt to interfere with the internal affairs of Communist. What makes it so tragic is that Malaysia simply does not have the capacity to influence events in Communist China. It only earns greater enmity by Communist China.
5. Merdeka University
The people are promised that tomorrow, Tun Tan Siew Sin will make an important announcement concerning the Merdeka University.
It is now clear that we do not have to wait for ‘iron trees to produce flowers’ before progress are made in establishing the Merdeka University.
But we hope that tomorrow’s announcement will be a clear-cut one, and not a wishy-washy one, promising vague things which come to nothing. And even more important we want to know the stand of the Alliance Government, and not merely the MCA.
I also hope tomorrow, Tun Tan Siew Sin will announce the lift of the ban on the hawkers, trishaw riders, etc. to go round the Malacca town on mobile tours to sell their wares in aid of the Merdeka University.
When the MCA was launching its donation campaign for the Tunku Abdul Rahman College in Malacca, the MCA leaders told the hawkers that if they do not co-operate, and go round the town and sell their wares in aid of the Tunku Abdul Rahman college, they will not be allowed to do the same for the Merdeka University. But if the hawkers co-operate in the matter of the Tunku Abdul Rahman College, the hawkers will be allowed to do the same for the Merdeka University.
The hawkers believed the MCA authorities, and co-operated. But now they found that they Alliance leaders have deceived them, and have got the Malacca authorities to ban the hawkers from mobile campaign in aid of the Merdeka University.
I want Tun Tan Siew Sin to declare tomorrow that this ban is lifted, and that the people are completely at liberty to contribute, in whatever way they want, to help establish the Merdeka University.
One thing is clear: So long as the people are united, the Merdeka University will succeed. Not one Tun Tan Siew Sin or 1,000 Tuan Siew Sin can break the people’s will and resolve.
But the struggle for the equality of the various languages, for the accordance of official status to Chinese, Tamil and English has only started. It is only with Chinese, English and Tamil given status of official status that Chinese, Tamil and English schools can freely grow and develop.
The battle for equality of races, languages and cultures will be a long way. Let May 10 be the first starting point in uniting people of all classes and races in pursuing this objective: a Malaysian Malaysia as against a Malay Malaysia.