Press Statement by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, 3rd December 1971
DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, has served notice that he proposes to introduce three motions and five adjournment speeches at the forthcoming session of Parliament beginning on December 8.
The three motions Mr. Lim has tabled are:
1. That this House
Expresses its deep concern at the continued 20-year neglect of the socio-economic development of the 400 new villages in the country and their economic drift, decline and death; and
Calls on the government to take immediate action to plan the social and economic reconstruction of the new villages to give the 750,000 new villagers in West Malaysia a new hope and an equal stake in the socio-economic development of the country.
2. That this House
Resolves that a national referendum of voters in Municipal, town and local council constituencies should instill be held on the question whether elected local government should be abolished before the Government take any action to abolish elected Municipal, town and local councils as a fundamental principal of grass-roots democracy is at issue.
3. That this House
Calls on the government to review its entire labour legislation and remove and repel those provisions which restrict trade unions from protecting the legitimate rights and interests of workers and replace them with provisions which can safeguard, protect and advance the rights of workers to a fair share of their labour in the country.
The five adjournment speeches Mr. Lim has served notices are:
1. Government recognition of Nanyang and Formosan university degrees and qualifications as continued government refusal to accord recognition will
(a) create discontent and dissatisfaction in Malaysian society; and
(b) waste scare skilled manpower resources needed for Malaysia’s technological and industrial development.
2. Abolition of Contract Labour as this system of labour unemployment is highly exploitative.
3. Reduction of the voting age from 21 years to 18.
4. Campaign to courtesy in government servants when dealing with the public.
5. Exemption of doctors and dentists who are in the national age group stemming from the Indinesian Confrontation national registration period.