Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP tea-party recemtion at Changkat Kruining, on the first day of his visit to Bruas parliamentary constituency on Saturday, 30.5.81 at 8 pm.
Call on Malaysian Chinese to decisively reject the MCA in the next general elections to demonstrate their repudiation of the politics of money of MCA which used the slogan of ‘Chinese unite’ to advance the financial and personal interests of its leaders
Recently, the MCA has again been shouting the slogan of ‘Chinese unite’ and claims that MPs and State Assemblymen from the DAP and even Gerakan are joining it because of the growing realisation among Malaysian Chinese of the importance of Chinese unity behind the MCA.
But even more hundreds of members at all levels, which soon will become thousands, are leaving the MCA, and if the MCA leaders, arguments are sound, then this must mean that very few Malaysian Chinese really believe that the MCA has any claim or right to represent Malaysian Chinese.
In actual fact, even the MCA leaders privately admit that they have no claim or right to represent Malaysian Chinese, for at every general elections, they have been rejected by the majority of the Malaysian Chinese electorate.
This is why those who betray the DAP’s principles for the MCA’s rewards dare not seek a re-election, for they know they will be decisively repudiated by the Malaysian Chinese for being a disgrace to the Chinese race!
So long as there is human race and society, so long will there be traitors, for there are bound to be a few who greedy for position and wealth are prepared to betray their principles, honour and character. In olden China, there have been Chin Kwai, Wu San Kuei and in modern times, Weng Chin-Wei. About two thousand years ago, Judas Iscariot was prepared to betray Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver, leading to the crucifixion of Jesus.
But such traitor cannot check the forward tide of the people’s progress and achievement of greater justice and equality, so long as the people use their powers at the earliest opportunity to relegate such traitors to the dustbins of history.
People join MCA now not because of the power of the MCA’s slogan of ‘Chinese unity’, but because of the temptations of MCA Multi-Purpose’s ‘Money Unite’. MCA leaders and members are all pre-occupied about stocks and shares, rather than about the people’s rights. This is why they are all worried that Tengku Razaleigh might lose in the UMNO Deputy President elections.
In fact, those who are genuinely concerned about protecting and advancing the legitimate rights and aspirations of the Chinese in Malaysia will never join the MCA, which in the last 30 years had singly been responsible for the sad state of Chinese position in Malaysia.
To join the MCA is to lend support and legitimacy to the very policies which had removed or threatened the basic constitutional rights of the Chinese in Malaysia, whether in education, economic, political, social, cultural or civic field.
Six Important Reasons why Malaysian Chinese should not join or support MCA
There are six important reasons why Malaysian Chinese should not join or support MCA, for to join or support MCA means to give support to the MCA in the following:
1. Endorse the MCA’s opposition to repeal Clause 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act. So long as Clause 21(2) remains, so long is the future of Chinese primary schools subjects to the political whims and fancies of those in power.
2. Endorse the MCA’s position in the Barisan Nasional government which discriminates against Chinese primary schools in the allocation of development funds. For instance, under the Fourth Malaysia Plan 1981-85, $630 million will be spent in primary schools, out of which a meager 7.5% or $45 million will go towards the over 1,000 Chinese primary schools. From 1971 – 1978, Chinese primary schools only received 7% of the total development expenditures for primary schools, i.e. $18 million out of a total expenditure of $239 million!
3. Endorse the MCA’s opposition to the establishment of Merdeka University to expand university places for Malaysian students and to create mother-tongue university education opportunities for graduates from Chinese Independent Secondary Schools;
4. Endorse the MCA’s position in the Barisan Nasional government which denies university places in the local universities for eligible and qualifies Chinese students.
5. Endorse the MCA’s full support to the amendments to the Societies Act, aimed as far as the MCA is concerned, at silencing Chinese guilds, clans, associations, from continuing to voice and reflect Chinese rights, wishes and interests.
6. Endorse the MCA’s use of politics for the financial and personal interest and advancement of MCA leaders, which explains why MCA leaders have no political backbone. Thus when the UMNO Youth leaders, Haji Suhaimi, opposed the acquisition of 51% share and control of UMBC by MCA’s Multi-Purpose Holdings Bhd., the entire MCA comprising Ministers, Deputy Ministers, State Executive Councillors yielded to Haji Suahim Suhaimi’s pressure.
There is no doubt that the MCA has misrepresented the Malaysian Chinese for too long, and that the only way for the Malaysian Chinese to regain their proper place in Malaysian society is first of all to get rid of MCA.
I therefore call on the Malaysian Chinese to decisively reject the MCA in the next general elections, which may be held in about 15 months’ time, to demonstrate that the Chinese in Malaysia do not accept MCA as its representative and expose the MCA’s use of ‘Chinese unity’ slogan to advance the financial and personal interests of its leaders.
It is only with a decisive repudiation of the MCA in the next elections that the Malaysian Chinese can regain their proper and respected under the Malaysian sun.