Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at the special meeting of Johore State Committee and Johore DAP branch leaders at Pantei DAP Branch premises, Batu Pahat, on Sunday, 2nd Dec. 1984 at 3.30 p.m.
Call on Johore MCA MPs and Assemblymen to explain why they are not prepared to highlight the problem of illegal Indonesian immigrants and pressure the government to resolve it seriously.
In the 1982 General Elections, the DAP lost our sole parliamentary and State Assembly seat in Johore when Party National Treasurer Sdr. Lee Kaw was defeated in Kluang.
As a result, the MCA won all the parliamentary seats in Johore it contested, and apart from Kulai which was given to Gerakan, won all the State Assembly seats allocated to it.
But although the MCA has scored 100% electoral victory, what has the MCA done for the people in the State, whether in terms of preservation of the Johorean’s basic rights, or for the defence of their life and property.
The MCA Johore MPs and Assemblymen are more interested in their petty power struggle in MCA between the Neo Yee Pan and Tan Koon Swan faction than in the welfare and sufferings of the people in Johore.
Undoubtedly, in the 32 months since the April 1982 general elections, the problem of the people of Johore arising from the illegal Indonesian immigrants have become even more acute, with the illegal Indonesian immigrants operating blatantly, whether coming in or committing crimes like house-breaking, armed robberies, rape, murder.
The people of Johore have a right to demand the Johore MCA Mps and Assemblymen to explain why they had not highlighted the problem of the illegal Indonesian immigrants and put pressure of the government to resolve this problem seriously.
It is public knowledge that the government, for its own reason, is closing its eyes to the influx of illegal Indonesian immigrants. The question is why the MCA Members of Parliament and State Assemblymen, in Johore, who are supposed to be the elected representatives of the people, are also closing their eyes to the influx of illegal Indonesian immigrants, and stifling their conscience about the sufferings caused to Malaysians by the illegal Indonesian immigrants?
The time has come for the MCA MPs and Assemblymen in Johore, including the lone Gerakan Assemblymen in Johore, Khoo Che Wat, to wake up and take united action to tell the government that the people have had enough of the illegal Indonesian immigrants, and that the people demand firm government action to stop the influx.
I call on the people of Johore, as well as in other states, to unite as one on the problem of illegal Indonesian immigrants, if they do not want their loved ones or friends to be victims of their crimes. If the people continue to be indifferent until they themselves are unfortunate to become the victims of the illegal Indonesian immigrants, then the people have only themselves to blame.
The DAP is now launching a concerted campaign to arouse public awareness and unity to demand government action on illegal Indonesian immigrants. But for this campaign to succeed, there must be strong response and support from the people themselves. If the present campaign fails, then Malaysians will find that increasingly, they will become people with less and less rights and where their life and property have little protection.