Speech Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, at the Kampong Koh-Seitawan DAP Thousand_people Dinner held on Saturday, 14th March 1981 at 8 p.m.
Expulsion of ‘Gang of Three’ has exposed and foiled the most vicious and destructive in party history to subvert and destroy the DAP from within
Expulsion of ‘Gang of Three’ in Penang has exposed and foiled the most vicious and destructive campaign in DAP history to subvert and destroy the DAP from within.
For over four months, the ‘Gang of Three’ had through their ‘professional cultural assassin’, in small newspapers published twice a week, had carried out a sustained and systematic campaign to denigrate and abuse the Party and its leadership, in particular myself, with the aim of destroying public confidence in the Party.
For these months, the people had been reading from articles of unknown authorship about all the terrible things about the DAP leadership, in particular about myself being anti-Chinese educated, a dictator and latterly, a Special Branch agent. But for the last two weeks, all these terrible thing are being said by none other then the ‘Gang of Three’ providing incontrovertible proof that the ‘Gang of Three’ had originally inspired and spawned such attacks on the DAP leadership.
All the argument, lies, distortion used during the over four months’ campaign against the DAP leadership are now all used by the ‘Gang of Three’
In the end, it was the ‘gang of three’ which destroyed and exposed itself. It became over-confident about its power to held the party leadership to ransom making it feel that it is immune from any party disciplinary action even for the most blatant and open of breaches and party discipline and defiance of party leadership.
The Gang of Three felt so over-confident because, firstly, it felt that it had in the last four months created such a public opinion about the Party leadership being anti-Chinese educated, that any action against them would confirm this charge. Secondly, it calculated that with Sabah general elections, no action would be taken against them resulting in a storm. Thirdly, it calculated that with the very great likelihood of a by-election in Kubu, Malacca, with the Barisan Nasional in Malacca intent on declaring my State Assembly seat vacant, the Party would go to any length to avoid disciplinary action against them.
There is of course a fourth reason. The Gang of Three and their collaborates in the party believe that in a show-down, they could get about half of the states in the country to revolt, namely Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Malacca, Johore and Sarawak. They have been proved completely wrong.
During the past four, five months, not only members of the public, but party members were confused and misled. This was because during this prolonged period, every article about DAP was an attack on the DAP leadership and myself, with all the lies and falsehoods. There was no counter by the DAP leadership, for we were seeking to educate the ‘Gang of Three’ and collaborators that whatever differences they may have must be channelised within the party, and not seek external outlets and forces to attack and undermine the Party. Furthermore, so long as they were still within the Party, the Party leadership did not want to publicly expose them, hoping that they could realize their error in time.
In the event, we allowed this ‘Gang of Three’ over four months of one-sided attack on the Party leadership, and charges which are so far-fetched and unbelievable, begin to influence some people and even party members when they are repeated again and again without challenge or counter. Now that we have forced the ‘Gang of Three’ out into the open, and out of the Party, we can let the people and party members judge their charges and motives.
‘Gang of Three’ and collaborators guilty of grossest betrayal of the political hopes of 700,000 voters who supported the DAP in last general elections.
The Gang of Three and collaborators are guilty of the grossest betrayal of the hopes of the 700,000 voters who voted for the DAP in the 1978 general election.
At a time when Malaysians hope to see the movement of a Malaysian Malaysia gain greater strength and momentum, the Gang of Three was hell-bent in the destruction of the DAP, to try to do for Barisan what it had failed to do in the last 15 years.
The ‘Gang of Three’ claims to be the champion of Chinese education, yet they deliberately, systematically and cold-bloodedly set out to weaken, subvert and destroy the only political force inside and outside Parliament which in the last 15 years had defended the constitutional and basic rights of Chinese education in Malaysia, even at the price of our leaders going to jail for our beliefs and principles.
The ‘Gang of Three’ claims that the Chinese educated have been suppressed in the Party, but they forget how one of them could become a State Assemblyman and another Member of Parliament as well as State Assemblyman, if what they allege is right.
The ‘Gang of Three’ ask why in a predominantly-Chinese state of Penang, the Chairman and Deputy Chairman are Indians, and two CEC Members from Penang are Indians, forgetting that it is the Penang DAP officials, including the Gang of Three, who elected the Penang Chairman and Deputy Chairman in 1979; and that it is the Congress delegates, including the Gang of Three, who elected the two CEC members from Penang.
The Gang of Three has resorted to so much lies, distortions, and falsehoods, (e,g, that I had announced a ‘Shadow Cabinet’ which is a complete figment of their imagination), that I do not propose to waste my time on them. After 15 years of political life, I an prepared to let my record be judged by the people. I am confident that the innate judgement of the people will be able to know what are lies and falsehoods, and what are character-assassination.
I am only concerned that the Gang of Three’s display of such dishonourable conduct in the unscrupulous lengths they are prepared to go to character-assassinate, would make many Malaysian Chinese who are beginning to be politically conscious shrink back into the shell of non-political involvement.
What Malaysians, in particular the Malaysian Chinese, need most in the 1980s is to come out in even greater numbers to take an active part in political to help shape their national destiny.
It required great idealism, commitment and dedication to be in Opposition politics, for unlike being in the ruling parties, there is no wealth, status or title to be gained, but only an arduous political road to fight for people’s basic right. Dr. Chen Man Hin, for instance, had spent 15 years leading the DAP to keep alive the ember of democratic socialism in Malaysia, with all its trial and tribulations. Since Dr. Chen’s first election in 1964, he had donated every cent of his allowance from a MP or State Assemblyman to the Party. DAP leaders expect no reward or even gratitude for the sufferings, hardship and sacrifices in pursuit of one’s political ideals; but if the end is calumny, character-assassination, then it will be very difficult to get fine men and women to dedicate their lives to the political upliftment of the people.
Clearly, the Gang of Three and collaborators seek to break the fighting spirit and will of DAP leaders in their five-month old campaign of calumny, malice and character assassination against DAP leaders, and at one stage, I nearly succumbed to this campaign.
Genuine and loyal DAP leaders will now expose the Gang of Three’s evil intentions and connections, and undeterred, will march on in our journey to create a more just and equal, genuinely multi-racial, democratic socialist Malaysia.
Let DAP history record that although the Gang of Three and collaborators posed the most vicious and destructive attempt to destroy the DAP from within, the DAP leaders and members and supporters were able to close ranks to defeat and expose the heinous intention of the Gang of Three, and that the collaborators of the Gang of Three will have no room or place whatsoever in the DAP.