Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Public Rally at Taiping, 21st July 1974 at 6 p.m.
1. DAP Central Executive Committee has decided that Sdr. Ibrahim bin Singgeh, Deputy Secretary-General and State Assemblyman for Tapah Road, will be the Mentri Besar of Perak if DAP captures the Perak State in the coming general elections
On Friday night, in Petaling Jaya, The DAP Central Executive Committee met to discuss in depth the problems and questions connected with the coming general elections, which is generally expected to be held from August 8 – 24.
The Central Executive Committee took a number of important decisions. Tonight, I wish to announce one of these important decisions.
The people from Perak places high hopes on the DAP in the coming general elections, especially after the betrayal of the interests of the people by the PPP, the Gerakan and Parti Islam, who have surrendered themselves in joining the National Front.
The National Front parties will suffer grave reverses and defeats in Perak and the PPP, for instance, will most likely disappear from the Malaysian political scene after the next polls.
The DAP has no doubt that we will be able to made great strides and achieve great success in both Parliamentary and State Assembly seats in Perak. In fact, many people in the treat are convinced that the DAP will capture the State Government of Perak by winning the majority of the Perak State seats.
The DAP Central Executive Committee has decided to contest the overwhelming majority of the seats in Perak, and that in the event of the DAP forming the State Government of Perak, Sdr. Ibrahim bin Singgeh, Deputy Secretary-General and State Assemblyman for Tapah Road, will be the DAP Mentri Besar of Perak.
Sdr. Ibrahim bin Singgeh is a man of great humility and very deep-seated convictions. He has gone to jail in the battle and struggle against the British colonialists to wrest independence for Malaya. In the last five years as State Assemblyman for Tapah Road, Sdr. Ibrahim Singgeh has proved himself as a champion and spokesman for all Malaysians.
The Perak State Executive Council will be fully multi-racial, just as the slate of DAP’s candidates in Perak will be truly multi-racial.
2. National Front’s sole aim in the coming general elections is to try to destroy the DAP.
In the coming general elections, the National Front is only worried about the DAP, which has proved itself in the last five years, inside Parliament and the State Assemblies, as the only true Opposition in the Opposition in the country, not only on minor and trivial matters, but even more important, on basic and fundamental questions as well.
The National Front’s sole aim is to try to destroy the DAP in the coming general elections so that the country can head towards a one-party rule.
The National Front will employ two major tactics in their attempt to achieve their aim. Firstly, that will make sure of all the power and resources in their command to try to break up the DAP, or to try to mislead the people into thinking what the DAP has broken up.
Thus, about two years ago, the Selangor Mentri Besar, Dato Harun bin Idris, hit the front pages in the press in his claim that some 200 DAP members have resigned in Kuala Lumpur to join the Alliance. Dato Harun Idris was immediately challenged by Sdr. Lee Lam Thye, our Selangor State Assembly leader.
Sdr. Lee challenged Dato Harun bin Idris to produce the membership cards of these so-called 200 members of the DAP, and that if Dato Harun Idris could do this, all the Selangor State Assemblymen would resign their seats. On the contrary, if Dato could not produce the 200 membership cards to substantiate his claim, then he should resign as the Mentri Besar of Selangor for violating one of the five principles of Rukunegara exhorting on the people to act honestly and with morality.
Dato Harun Idris kept quiet and dared not utter a word in reply.
The Alliance and National Front now use more sophisticated methods. Only last month, again in Selangor, the newspapers carried front page stories about 242 DAP members and supporters in Serdang Bahru quitting to join the MCA.
This time, however, the MCA did not claim 242 DAP members, but “242 members and supporters”. In fact, not more than 10 members, six of whom had been expelled for breach of party discipline, were involved, and only the MCA propagandists know where the other 230 persons come from.
The National Front will use all sorts of tricks and stratagems to break up the Party, discredits its leaders and spread untruths, but we are confident that truth and justice will prevail.
The second method the National Front will use to destroy the DAP is to sponsor the split of opposition votes, so that the Opposition is divided and that the National Front can scrape through on a minority vote.
In other words, it will sponsor false opposition parties to try to confuse the people and defeat the DAP. It is becoming clear that the Parti Pekemas is playing the role of the false opposition, and helping the National Front to win, at the DAP’s expense.
This probably explains why as far back as two months ago, at a public rally in Taiping, Pekemas leaders openly attacked and criticised the DAP. A party which is sincere in trying to work out an opposition understanding will never do this.
Pekemas founder-leader, Mr. K. George, who resigned as Executive Secretary of Pekemas, has confirmed in his letter of resignation to Pekemas, that while the Pekemas leaders were having talks with the DAP on opposition unity, the Pekemas leaders were also having talks with the National Front, during the budget session early this year.
Has the National Front and the Pekemas come to a tacit understanding to try to destroy the DAP and allow the National Front candidates to win, for the Pekemas themselves know they have no chance whatsoever of winning.
It is significant that one reason Mr. K. George had given for resigning from the Parti Pekemas was because some Pekemas leaders were receiving large financial support from MCA stalwarts. Why should MCA stalwarts give big and regular donations to the Pekemas, it is not to co-operate to help destroy the DAP?
The people in the coming elections must reject not only the National Front, which is in fact a national fraud, but also the opposition fraud, the Pekemas, so that the people’s hopes, aspirations for a just economic, educational, political cultural order can be clearly and effectively represented by the DAP.
3. DAP calls on the Prime Minister, Tun Razak, to pay 13th month salary to all government employees to help them fight inflation
The Government has been dragging its feet in revising the salaries of the government servants to enable them to fight inflation and restore their living standards which have been reduced because of uncontrolled price increases.
The DAP calls on the Prime Minister, Tun Razak, not to delay any longer and to pay all government employees a 13th month salary free from income tax to enable them to support themselves and families in conditions prevailing before inflation.
4. DAP wants Taiping detention camp closed and its detainees released without conditions
Taiping is identified with Taiping detention camp. The DAP wants the Taiping detention camp closed and its political detainees released, or given an open trial in a court of law.
It is against the principle of the Malaysian Constitutional guarantee of liberty of person to arrest a person without charging him in a court of law, and detaining him indefinitely.
The Internal Security Act should be abolished, so that Malaysians can enjoy liberty of person and freedom from arrest without trial.