Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Rally at Pokok Mangga, Bandar Melaka, on Friday, 8th February, 1974 at 9.00 p.m.
Pekemas must decide whether it wants to co-operate with the DAP against the Alliance or it wants to break-up effort at Opposition Unity
Parti Pekemas must decide whether it wants to co-operate with the DAP and put up a joint Opposition against the Alliance and the National Front at the next General Elections, or break-up Opposition’s attempt to form a United Front.
For a United Opposition Front to succeed, one of the pre-condition is that all the participating parties must show sincerity and good faith in their political conducts and their relationship with each other.
We in the DAP are aware that it is no easy to forge a United Opposition effort as shown by the repeated failures in the last 20 years of Malaysian political history.
We are also aware that in working towards a United Opposition Front, it will not be possible to altogether eliminate frictions and differences.
It is for this reason we in DAP have in the past two years overlooked a number of breaches of god faith and sincerity on the part of the Pekemas. I do not propose to go into these instances tonight.
However, in deliberately in accepting into its membership Dr. A. Soorian and J.P. Samual Raj whom the DAP expelled in 1072 for their disruptive anti-party activities, we in the DAP can only conclude that the Pekemas has taken a policy decision of provocation, defiance and enmity against the DAP.
It is general knowledge that both Dr. A. Soorian and J.P. Samual Raj, ever since their expulsion from the DAP have not let-up in their campaign of smear and malice in their attempt to discredit the Party and its leadership.
We are not worried about their campaign, for they themselves will soon find out that they have ceased to matter.
Thus to the people of Seremban and Negeri Sembilan the career and reputation of Dr. A. Soorian is an open book.
But we cannot ignore the fact that y taking such elements whose sole aim is to denigrate and destroy the DAP, the Pekemas is giving them not only comfort and shelter but protection and encouragement.
This is in breach of the understanding among the Pekemas, DAP and SNAP leaders in January this year that no party will adopt any member who had been expelled by another party.
The spirit of Unity is clearly absent.
I wonder what will be the reaction of the Pekemas if the DAP should accept into our membership Dr. Lim Chong Eu?
In these circumstances where the Pekemas is aiding and abetting anti-DAP element campaign it will be impossible to accept the good faith and sincerity of the Pekemas in wanting to work towards the establishment of a United Opposition Front.
Our reservation has been immediately confirmed for no sooner has Dr. A. Soorian and J.P. Samual Raj joined the Pekemas there was a renewed campaign of smear and malicious rumours against the DAP.
Vicious rumours were spread that our Party Chairman, Dr. Chen Man Hin has resigned from the Party following a big clash with me at a Party meeting in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday, 3rd Feb. 1974 when on that day I was in Penang for a Public Rally.
The bail is now in the Pekemas court. If the Pekemas really want to co-operate with the DAP to put up a strong opposition against the Alliance and the National Front in Penisular Malaysia, then it must stop aiding and abetting anti-DAP campaign and stop providing encouragement and shelter to DAP renegades whose sole personal and political objective is to discredit and destroy the DAP and its leadership, even by the use of the most unscrupulous means.