Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, when officially declaring open the one-day seminar for Johore DAP state and branch leaders held at Kluang DAP premises in Kluang on Sunday, 10th May 1981 at 9.30 a.m.
Challenge to Datuk Lee San Choon and all MCA Ministers to contest in constituencies which are overwhelmingly Chinese in electorate to demonstrate that they have the mandate of the Malaysian Chinese to represent them
Last Wednesday, at the Malacca DAP State Working Committee meeting, l warned party members and supporters to be vigilant of a two-step Barisan Nasional grand design to destroy the DAP next general elections.
This Barisan grand design was in the first step, to disrupt, divide and destroy the DAP from within the party, through the use of party traitors and opportunists. Although we have succeeded in exposing and foiling the machinations of a few who, in the past few months, carried out the dirty-work of the Barisan to disrupt and destroy the DAP from within and expelled these unprincipled party renegades, the Barisan are still trying to subvert and seduce DAP MPs and State Assemblymen with temptations of big money and position.
The step-two of the Barisan grand to destroy the DAP was to promote a new political party to divide and split the DAP’s votes in the next general elections.
This two-step grand design had been employed by the Barisan Nasional against PAS with great success in 1977 and 1978 general elections, leading to the near collapse of PAS.
Two days ago, the MCA President, Datuk Lee San Choon, referring to my expose, said the DAP was politically bankrupt and that was why DAP members were deserting the party.
Datuk Lee San Choon is living in a dreamworld of his own if he thinks that DAP members are deserting the party. The party where there will be a great desertion of party members will be the MCA, where the MCA President has arrogated to himself the sole dictatorial powers of expulsion, suspension and discipline.
The recent events inside the DAP and MCA showed the great difference in the two parties.
The DAP expelled the ‘Gang of Four’ of Chan Teck Chan, Seow Hung Khim, Chin Nyuk Soo and Goh Lim Eam because for some five months, they carried out a systematic and vicious campaign to destroy the credibility and image of the DAP painfully built up by party leaders and members in the last 15 years, making such baseless and malicious allegations as my being anti-Chinese educated, later anti-Chinese and finally, than I am no more a Chinese , having ‘lost the spirit of the descendants of Huang Ti’; and that I am a Special Branch agent.
Although the Gang of Four publicly claimed their love for the DAP, they had no qualms about tearing down the DAP Rocket signboard!
Why did Datuk Lee San Choon expel the 61 MCA members? He did it for his own self-interest, and the Lee San Choon, clique, so that his position as President together with so many other good things which go with the position of MCA President, is not threatened!
Datuk Lee San Choon cannot deny the fact that MCA agents been trying to tempt DAP MPs and State Assemblymen with attractive offers into defecting to MCA, on the belief that everyone has a price.
In fact, the MCA are not only trying to but over DAP elected representatives; they are also trying to buy over Gerakan Assemblymen as well.
Recently, a top Gerakan national leader told a DAP leader that the MCA was prepared to spend a lot of money to buy over DAP MPs and Assemblymen.
The reduction of Malaysian politics by the Barisan Nasional into a market-place of buying and selling of politicians for a right price is the greatest disservice the MCA has brought to Malaysian politics.
The MCA and the Barisan parties had to rely on money, because they are the ones who are really bankrupt of ideas. But let me tell the MCA leasers that they could buy one or four or ten, but they could not buy the 13 million Malaysians.
This is why although the MCA proclaims itself as the sole representatives and spokesmen of the five million Malaysian Chinese, the five million Malaysian Chinese not only do not accept the MCA leaders as their leaders, but regard them with contempt.
The MCA Ministers and leaders know this which explain why they all dare not contest in overwhelmingly Chinese-dominated constituencies, although they claim to be representatives of the Malaysian Chinese.
If Datuk Lee San Choon really believes that the DAP is bankrupt, then I challenge him and all the MCA Ministers to contest in constituencies which are overwhelmingly Chinese in electorate in the next general elections, to demonstrate whether they have the mandate of the Malaysian Chinese to represent them.
I am sure Datuk Lee and the MCA Ministers dare not do so, for in their heart of hearts, they know they could win with UMNO’s bloc Malay votes. In fact, if there is a national referendum among the Malaysian Chinese as to who had done the greatest disservice to them, Datuk Lee San Choon will way way ahead of everyone else!
DAP to aim at winning more Parliament and State Assembly seats in next general elections
In the party’s 15 year history, we have demonstrated our inner resources of resilience, strength and cohesion when we recovered at a very rapid rate after going through storms and turmoils engineered by the Barisan Nasional.
Similarly, I am confident that we can regain our momentum and drive in a short period of time, which will enable us to plan for the next general elections, which might be held in 15 months’ time, or even earlier.
If we can expose and get the people to see the Barisan’s two-step conspiracy to destroy the DAP, then I am confident that we can win even more Parliament and State Assembly seats in the next general elections.