Special Assistant to Secretary-General
In line with greatly, stepped-up party activism for the Eighties, the Party has created a new post, designated Special Assistant to Secretary-General. This post will be held by Sdr. Tai Sin Piaw with effect from 1.8.1980, and his tasks will be to carry out duties assigned to him by me.
Meeting of State Publicity Secretaries
Further to F.SG.D 9/80 on meeting of State Publicity Secretaries on 7th August 1980 for Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johore and on 8th August for Penang, Kedah/Perlis, Perak and Selangor, each State Publicity Secretary should submit a report of the following at the meeting:
1. Number of Copies of Chinese Time Bombs
(i) taken
(ii) sold
(iii) settled with Headquarters,
by the State (i.e. all branches and individuals) to date. It may be difficult to compile a complete record, but each State Publicity Secretary should compile as complete a record as possible.
2. Number of Copies of First Issue of English Rocket
(i) taken
(ii) sold
(iii) settled with Headquarters,
by the State to date.
3. Number of Copies of Second Issue of English Rocket
(i) taken
(ii) sold
(iii) settled with Headquarters
by the State to date.
4. Number of Copies of First Chinese booklet
(i) taken
(ii) sold
(iii) settled with Headquarters
by the State to date.
As there are still considerable number of Chinese Time Bombs left, a special campaign must be mounted by all states and branches from now till end of the year to sell some 25,000 copies.
A national programme to dispose of 25,000 copies of Chinese Time Bombs by the end of the year will be worked out and implemented by the Acting National Publicity Secretary, Sdr. Dr. Tan Seng Giaw, with individual targets set for each State.
The third issue of English Rocket has come off the press. So too has the Second booklet in the Party’s ‘Issues of the Moment’ series in Chinese, on the Parliamentary debate on the Mahathir Cabinet Report on Education, which is being printed by Penang DAP, and will be retailed at 50 cents a copy. This is an important booklet, and states and branches should place orders with Sdr. Deow Hung Khim, or through the Ag. National Publicity Secretary. There will be no second printing of this booklet, and states and branches must therefore make sure that they place their orders in advance.
The third booklet in the ‘Issues of the Moment’ series in Chinese will be on the Suhaimi Affair concerning Clause 21(2) of the Education Act 1961 and will be another important political document. Sdr. Liew Ah Kim is responsible for editing this third booklet, which is expected to be published at the end of August.
The post of Publicity Secretary, whether at national, state or branch level, is of crucial importance. Its function is not to issue press statements, which we do not need a Publicity Secretary to do.
What is more important is the overall command of all efforts to publicise by all available means the party’s ideology and objectives. Publicity Secretaries must exercise greater initiative, imagination and drive to carry out this very important party responsibility, which is why this post is specifically provided for in the recently-amended Party Constitution.
Organization – Paramount Challenge of Party
This is the tenth F.SG.D’s in the two months of the Party’s Offensive of the Eighties. They contain the areas which will engage party attention in the coming months and years.
But the paramount challenge to the Party will remain in the field of Organisation, for in the Eighties we must cautiously, but steadily, turn ourselves into a sort of mass movement, with all the implications of such a change.
Organizing Secretaries of States and branches should begin to give this their consideration so that they can contribute new ideas to achieve this objective.
For a start, a meeting of State Organising Secretaries would be held in August to work out the guidelines for the challenging programme.
In June and July, I have visited most of the State Committees. I will now begin to turn my attention to areas and branches to ensure that they too should be active and creative.
Tanjung Parliamentary Constituency – first Parliamentary constituency
Tanjong will be the first Parliamentary Constituency which I will visit in my tour of all DAP Parliamentary and State Assembly constituencies. In view of Dr. Lim Chong Eu’s recent announcement, which clearly is to prepare for his own honourable exit from politics in the next elections, the Tanjong visit has taken on a special significance. The programme is:
16th August 2 p.m.: Official opening of Kampong Kolam DAP Branch, followed by a tour of
Kampong Kolam and Pengkalan Kota constituencies.
17th August 7.30 a.m.: Tour of three markets in Tanjong constituency.
2.00 p.m.: Official opening of Padang Kota DAP Branch.