Let Hundred Flowers Bloom, And Thousand Schools of Thought Contend
I invite, nay challenge, members and officials to come out with new ideas as to how the Party, at all levels and different fields, could be more effective in our political struggle and achieve better results.
To enable the Party to re-orient ourselves to the Challenges of the Eighties, we must apply fresh thinking to all our problems. But this must not be confined to a handful of leaders. There must be a party-wide ferment of new ideas.
Let this preparatory stage, not only for the DAP Declaration of the Eighties at the Fifteen Anniversary Special Delegates’ Congress in 1981 but for a complete overhaul of Party machinery, be an exciting time for all party leaders, members and supporters.
Indeed, let hundred flowers bloom, and thousand schools of thought contend. All this of course, must be within the Party framework!
Party officials and members who have any new idea or new approach to party or national problems should write to me, if they could not speak to me. All ideas will get the serious attention and consideration of the Central Executive Committee. I may even discuss ideas worthy of consideration in this series of F.SG.D’s.
New Blood for Party
One important task in the Eighties is to increase our membership and to inject new blood into all levels of leadership. Such membership increase must be quantitative which is qualitative!
We definitely need more men and women of conviction to help in carrying out the manifold programmes and activities that we are planning for the Eighties.
All States and branches should therefore give this matter serious consideration.
Reshuffle of Selangor/Federal Territory State Committee
The Selangor/Federal Territory State Committee, which met on Saturday, 26th July 1980, had a reshuffle, and the new State Committee line-up is as follows:
Chairman: Sdr. Lee Lam Thye
Deputy Chairman: Sdr. Mohd. Isa bin Mohd. Ismail
Vice Chairman: Sdr. K. Ramasen
Sdri. Au Keng Wah
Secretary: Sdr. Liew Ah Kim
Asst. Sec: Sdr. N. Madhavan Nair
Treasurer : Sdr. Victor Daniel
Asst. Treasurer: Sdr. Henry Lee
Organising Secretary: Sdr. Dr. Tan Seng Giaw
Asst. Organising Secretary: Sdr. Indris bin Idrus
Publicity Secretary: Sdr. Pan Su Peng
Asst. Publicity Secretary: Sdr. Chua Ah Heng
Political Education Secreatry: Sdr. Liew Fatt Yuen
Committee Members: Sdr. Loh Chee
Sdr. Tai Sin Piaw
Sdr. Au Yong Ting Shing
Sdr. Chan Kok Kit
Sdr. Lee Siew Hong
Sdr. Khoo Chin Tow.
At the meeting, two Committee members, Sdr. Fong Kui Loon and Sdri. Ong Kwee Ling, tendered their resignation as State Committee Members because of inability to find time for party activities. Sdr. Fong’s business activities take him away from the country best part of the month, and this has imposed even greater commitments on his wife, Sdri. Ong Kwee Ling, our redoubtable candidate for Ulu Langat, who narrowly lost to MCA Youth Wanita President Rosemary Chong.
Both Sdr. Fong and Sdri. Ong have been stout party workers, and I have no doubt that when things have easened up for them in terms of time, they would be back in the forefront of the DAP’s battle for a Malaysian Malaysia.
The Party appreciate the hard decisions they have taken, and we await their return.
Meeting of State Publicity Secretaries
Although it is now nearly two months since the launching of the New Era of the DAP for the Eighties, and although I am coming to the end of my visit to all State Committees in Peninsular Malaysia to spread the message of a New Spirit and Commitment, I am aware that this message has not sufficiently sunk in for all State officials.
Some publicity secretaries are still taking a lackadaisal attitude unaffected by a sense of urgency, as for instance, to get Rockets out to all distribution points once they are received.
I am calling a meeting of State Publicity Secretaries to give them a final briefing on their new and increasing responsibilities in the New DAP Era. This meeting of State Publicity Secretaries would be in two stages.
A meeting of State Publicity Secretaries of Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang would be held at DAP Hqrs on Thursday, 7th August 1980 at 7.30 p.m.; while a meeting of State Publicity Secretaries of Penang, Perak, Kedah/Perlis and Selangor would be held at Cameron Highlands on Saturday, 9th August 1980 at 5 p.m. State Publicity Secretaries should regard this as formal notice and attend the relevant meeting accordingly.
Book-List
Further to my F.SG.D 8/80, all that is required for participants for the three announced ‘brain storming’ sessions are to read before-hand one book each, namely:
1. On Islam – ‘Militant Islam’ by G.H.Jansen –Pan World (about $8.00)
2. On Democratic Socialism –‘The Socialist Tradition’ by Alexander Grey – Longmans
3. North-South Relations: ‘North-South: Willy Brandt Report’ – Pan World (about $10.00).
Those who can read more should of course do so.