Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, to DAP members in Bruas when starting his two-day visit to Bruas constituency in Ayer Tawar market on Saturday, 30th May 1981 at 7.30 a.m. in the company of Sdr. Lim Cho Hock, DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh, Sdr. P. Patto, DAP National Organising Secretary and MP for Menglembu, Sdr. Liew Ah Kim, National Social/ Cultural Secretary and Selangor State Assemblyman for Kajang and the DAP MP for Bruas, Sdr. Ding Chek Ming.
Call on DAP MPs and State Assemblymen to upgrade their services, performances and contributions to the Party
In the next 15 months, before the calling of the next general elections, I hope to visit as many of the DAP Parliamentary and State Assembly constituencies as possible to see for myself, the problems of the people in the area, the record of service and performance of the DAP MP or Assemblymen, and to exchange views with the people with regard to the pressing national problems of the day.
My visit to Bruas parliamentary constituency is the first of this series of visits to DAP constituencies. The second constituency that I will visit will be Teluk Anson on June 25 and 26.
Although since the planning of the visits. the DAP has lost the Assembly seats of Pantai Remis and Pasar Beda with the betrayal of Yong Howe Choo and Thee Ah Kow, the DAP still regard these constituencies as the DAP’s as the electorate voted for the DAP in the last general elections.
Both Yong Howe Choo and Thee Ah Kow know that they won not because of their individual merits, but because of the DAP’s platform. This is why they dare not honour their oath to resign their seat of no more in the DAP to seek a new mandate from the electorate, for both would undoubtedly be decisively repudiated by the voters for gross treachery and political opportunism.
In the DAP’s last 15 years, we have had our share of party defectors and traitors, but they have not been able to hold up the party’s expansion and progress.
In Malaysian politics today, it takes considerable gumption, courage, conviction and stamina to remain steadfast to one’s political principles in Opposition, resisting the diverse temptations of wealth and position or standing up to pressures and intimidations threatening to remove one’s liberty, freedom or even life.
In the final analysis, the future of the DAP will depend on whether the Party as a whole keep faith with the people, and not on whether there are a few who are prepared to sell their soul for Multi-Purpose shares and money.
With the doubling of allowance of MPs and State Assemblymen, the DAP expects all its MPs and State Assemblymen to upgrade their service to the people, performance as elected representatives and contributions to the Party in terms of taking the Party to new organizational expansion and political progress.
I know that several Barisan leaders are eyeing Bruas in the hope of contesting and winning the seat from the DAP. The DAP is going to deny them this hope, for even of Dr. Lim Keng Yaik should come to Bruas to stand, the DAP in Bruas and Perak will demonstrate that it is a bad decision for we intend to retain not only the Pantai Remis state seat, but also the Bruas parliamentary seat.