Speech Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, when addressing the Negri Sembilan DAP State Committee at its meeting held in Mantin, Negri Sembilan, on Saturday, 24th January 1981 at 5 p.m.
Beware of Barisan grand design to destroy the DAP from inside the Party
The Barisan Nasional component parties, in particular the MCA, have recently stepped up their campaign to try to destroy the DAP from inside the party through the exploitation and creation of internal DAP crisis.
Every small party event is exaggerated and blown out of proportion to suggest that there is a party crisis, so as the undermine public confidence in DAP and create doubt and uncertainty within the Party.
Two themes has become favourite weapons of the MCA and Barisan component parties to attack the DAP: one, at the Chinese educated are being suppressed by the English educated, and secondly, that the Chinese in the DAP are being dominated by the non-Chinese in the DAP. There are even those who go round and spread that I have become a Hindu.
The MCA, and the Barisan component parties hope thtat by repeatedly publishing such articles carrying such themes in their controlled papers, they could make the people believe that their lies are true. In fact, the MCA in particular have become followers of the Nazi propagandist, Goebbels, who believed that to make people believe a lie, the bigger the lie the better, and repeat without end.
Of course, the MCA propagandist hope to make their propaganda more believable, and in this direction, has tried to get DAP members and leaders to turn against the Party by lending support to such a propaganda attack of the MCA and Barisan. Anyone in the Party who, for whatever personal reason, directly or indirectly, aid and abet such a MCA and Barisan-inspired propaganda campaign, has put himself outside the pale of the Party, and become an anti-party element.
This is the time for all Party leaders and members, in the face such organised and systematic propaganda attack by the MCA and the Barisan, to close ranks, and expose the true character of such malicious and vicious propaganda campaign- which is no less than to destroy the DAP.
The DAP, in out 15 years struggle, has gone through many storms. It is only through the restoration of party discipline, cohesion and unity that we can overcome even greater storms. For this reason, the Party leadership will not be diverted from its important task of restoring party discipline, and those who defy and obstruct the restoration of party discipline will be severely dealt with.
The Party leadership has said enough about being fair and just in the handing of disciplinary matters, and we are not prepared to conduct our disciplinary affairs in public.
I need only say that without party discipline, the DAP might as well close shop. Without discipline, the DAP will become a laughing stock in the political arena, and will be completely ineffective and impotent.