Speech by Dap Organising Secretary and Parliamentary Candidate for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at the 9th DAP Public Rally at Lorong Panjang, Malacca on 1st May 1969 at 9.30p.m.;
Before Nomination Day of Ma April 5, the majority of the people of Malacca do not know who is Mr. Koh Kim Leng. Those who know who is Mr. Koh Kim Leng invariably have the most unfavorable opinion of him, because they regard him arrogant, aloof and a society lawyer.
But this is shocking, because Mr. Koh Kim Leng had been a Senator for Malacca for the last ten years.
What had Mr. Koh Kim Leng done to serve the people in the last ten years when he represented the people of Malacca in the Senate? Had he ever come down to the level of the ordinary people, speak to them, find out their problems, try to help them? In fact, the people of Malacca tell me Mr. Koh Kim Leng was never seen in town. Even in the Senate, he is one of the ‘sleepiest’ Senators, who hardly utter a word in the Senate.
For the last ten years, Mr. Koh Kim Leng had been paid his allowance as a senator. This easily exceeds $100,000 over the last 10 years.
Can Mr. Koh Kim Leng in all conscience say that he has done$100,000 worth of public service to the people and state of Malacca?
I doubt he has done $10 worth of public work in the last ten years for the people of Malacca.
If in the last 10 years, when he was a Senator for Malacca, Mr. Koh Kim Leng completely neglected the problems and people of Malacca, there is no doubt that in the next five years, if he is elected Member of Parliament, he will do the same thing.
I challenge Mr. Koh Kim Leng to let the people of Malacca what he has done in the last ten years as Malacca Senator. Does Mr. Koh not agree that he was no useless and ineffective, that in the last ten years Malacca was actually without a Senator who could speak up for the problems, like the Malacca economy grinding to a standstill, the lack of a Malacca Port, the lack of industrial estate and a dynamic plan to develop the tourist potential. In other words, Mr. Koh was a complete failure as a Senator in the last ten years!