DAP welcomes accord between Malaysia and People’s Republic of China to establish full diplomatic relations and proposes that Tun Razak should lead an all-party delegation to China, and the convening of a special session of Parliament to receive the Prime Minister’s Report on China relations and debate
The Democratic Action Party welcomes the agreement in principle between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of the People’s Republic of China to establish full diplomatic relations, and the official visit to the People’s Republic of China by the Prime Minister, Tun Razak, from May 28 to June 2, 1974, to formalise the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Tun Razak’s six-day official visit to the People’s Republic of China at the invitation of the Chinese Premier Chou En Lai is a fitting event to mark the beginning of a new era in the relations between Malaysia and China. It is our hope that this will pave the way for the fullest normalisation of relations between the governments and peoples of the two nations, whether in the field of economics, trade, travels, culture, sports, or in any other field of human endeavour.
The Prime Minister, Tun Razak, however, should be leading an all-party delegation to China, symbolising the full national character of this historic occasion involving the participation of all political opinions and groups, and not, as is reported, merely leading a delegation of representatives of National Front parties.
There is still time for Tun Razak to ensure that the first official Malaysian delegation to China is fully representative of all sections and persons in Malaysia, through the representation on the delegation of all political opinions and groups.
The DAP further proposes that the Prime Minister, Tun Razak, convene a special joint session of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara on Monday, June 3, or the next most suitable date, on his return from China to give to Parliament and the nation a full report of the negotiations, talks and result of the full establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, and to permit the elected representatives of the people the opportunity to debate on this very significant event.
It has always been highly regrettable that in the course of negotiations between the governments of Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China, lasting over a year, the foreign press freely reported on the negotiations, the issues raised, discussed and which posed difficulties, while Malaysians were kept completely in the dark on these proceedings because of the collective act by the local press to abstain from reporting on these developments.
Undoubtedly, one of the thorniest issues affect the future of the 300,000 stateless persons of Chinese origin in Malaysia, many of whom were born in Malaysia before 1057 and who therefore did not enjoy automatic citizenship rights.
The DAP is of the view that this problem can be easily dealt with by conferring citizenship to those cut of these 300,000 who were born in Malaysia before 1957, and those who have put down their roots in Malaysia through not locally-born, and who have no other home except Malaysia, and who fulfil all the conditions of citizenship.
With the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, the Malaysian government should close down the Formosan consulate here.
The government, however, should make arrangements for the over 2,000 Malaysians who are studying in the colleges and universities in Taiwan, to ensure that they will not suffer educationally. One solution will be for the government to ask the 2,000 Malaysians now studying in Taiwan to return to join anyone of the five Malaysian universities, and if necessary, after a special re-orientation and language course to prepare the 2,000 Malaysian students for the Malaysian universities.
One problem which has arisen is the future of Chinese secondary school students for university education, with the new policy on the part of Nanyang University to stop conducting entrance examinations in Malaysia, and the uncertain future of Malaysian students in the Taiwan universities and colleges.
The DAP calls on the Prime Minister, Tun Razak, to explore with the Chinese leaders during his six-day official visit to the People’s Republic of China the possibility of allowing Malaysian graduates from the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools to pursue university courses in the Chinese universities in the People’s Republic of China.