Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at DAP public rally at Kluang, Johore on Thursday, 11th November 1971 at 9 p.m.
DAP calls on Government to liberalise trade with China
I call on the Malaysian Government to liberalise trade with China so that the trade will benefit the large masses of the people, and not the monopoly of a handful of people, who will be able to make great wealth at the cost of the people and country.
The people, who have suffered from so many hardships lately with the fail in rubber prices, the increase in the cost of essential commodities, had hoped that with the trade with China, they would be able to get cheaper goods.
In fact, the prices of the China-made goods have increased.
The DAP calls on the government not only to disallow the merchants from unreasonably raising the prices of China-made goods, but more important, the government itself should not impose too high a duty on China imports, which is a major element in the high prices of China goods.
The Government, if it has the interest of the poor in the slums and kampongs at heart, should make use of the China trade to help reduce the prices of consumer goods in the country and reduce the high cost of living in Malaysia.
If the Government imposes high duty, the Pernas extracts a levy, and the other agents demand their share, a China-made good will cost probably even higher than other goods.
Monopoly of trade or any other public areas of activity by a section of the people, or worse still, by a handful of people, is undesirable and against the national public interest.
I therefore call on the government to liberalise conditions on which merchants and traders can do trade with China.