Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, when speaking to DAP members, election workers and supporters for the Ulu Selangor by-election at the DAP Kuala Kubu Bahru by-election head office on the night of Nomination, 18th May 1972 at 7.30 p.m.
Call to crusade for a Malaysian Malaysia until eventual victory
The Ulu Selangor Parliamentary seat has traditionally been regarded as a safe seat for the MCA.
This is why in the previous general elections, this seat has always been reserved for the pawns and puppets like Tan Sri Ong Yoke Lin and Tan Sri Khaw Kai Boh who would have been decisively defeated if they had stood in other areas.
Now, the Alliance has fielded Mr. Michael Chen, who was decisively defeated in the Damansara constituency in the 1969 General Election by Sdr. Hor Cheok Foon.
The task of the DAP is to convert all safe MCA seats into unsafe MCA seats, convert them into safe DAP seats. Similarly, we will do the same to UMNO seats.
The Alliance and the MCA will spare no money, resources and manpower to try to win the Ulu Selangor by-election. In fact, Ulu Selangor will be in for a minor boom for the next 14 days with the lavish expenditures which the Alliance will pour into the area during the by-election campaign period.
But though we in the DAP will lack in money and other material resources, we are rich in the youthful idealism and spirit of sacrifice of our election workers. It is this element which the Alliance lacks, and which will largely determine the outcome of a political struggle.
I call on all DAP members, election workers and supporters to work for Malaysian Malaysia until eventual victory. Let every DAP worker be the match of 100 Alliance workers, and let every dollar we spend worth $100 spent by the Alliance.
I am very impressed by the zeal, enthusiasm and burning faith shown by our election workers for a more just and equal, more democratic Malaysia. If we can communicate, within the next 14 days of the by-election campaign period, this seal, enthusiasm and burning faith to the 23,000 voters of Ulu Selangor, then our battle is won.
If the 23,000 voters of Ulu Selangor reject the Alliance candidates, then they will be able to arrest and reverse the whole range of unjust and unequal policies and measures of the Alliance, whether in the economic, educational, cultural or political field.
The people of Ulu Selangor have now a historic opportunity to demonstrate, on behalf of the people of Malaysia and the next generation of Malaysians, that they are oppose to the present Alliance policies, which has added to the suffering and poverty of the poor in the kampongs, estates, new villages, towns, and reject the communal policies of the Alliance, which crushed the poor to profit the rich.
Let the people of Ulu Selangor give people voice to the sufferings, hardships, discontents, frustrations of the people of Malaysia of the last few years, by coming out solidly on June 3 to vote for the Rocket, for Sdr. Lau Dak Kee – so that we can secure for ourselves, our younger brothers and sisters, our children and children’s children a place under the Malaysian sun.
We shall conduct a clean and honest by-election campaign. There are politicians and political leaders whose only political capital and ability is to embark on personal attacks and character assassinations.
In fact, we know that there is a special department in the MCA which is responsible for manufacturing personal attacks, character assassination, rumours and lies about DAP leaders.
The DAP is a political movement with ideology, to fight for a democratic socialist, a genuine multi-racial Malaysian society. We will stand or fall by that ideology, and shall never lower ourselves to personal attacks.
Our candidate, Sdr. Lau Dak Kee, has invited the Alliance candidates, Mr. Michael Chen, to join him in a debate on the burning issues which concern the people, like poverty, landlessness, Chinese education, education standards, job opportunities, basic rights of Malaysians, etc.
I hope Mr. Michael Chen will have the courage to rise up to Sdr. Lau Dak Kee’s invitation and challenge, and deal with issues, and not with petty, personal attacks.
In this connection, I am still waiting for Mr. Michael Chen to reply to a question I put to him at a Kalumpang public rally a few days ago. I had asked him to tell the people of Ulu Selangor what he has done, when he was Tun Razak’s Parliamentary Secretary from 1964 to 1969, to voice, champion and solve the plight, neglect, poverty and suffering of the 900,000 new villagers.
If Mr. Michael Chen continues to keep silent, then the people of Ulu Selangor and the country will draw their own conclusions.