Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary- General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at the Petaling Jaya Old Town DAP Branch Committee meeting held in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, 14.9.1985 at 8 p.m.
DAP will give priority emphasis to tightening up party discipline in the next three months
The DAP Central Executive Committee has decided to give priority emphasis to the next three months to tighten up party discipline, because without discipline, no political party would have the unit, cohesion and strengthen to pursue its political objectives.
Just as an army is only a useless rabble if there is no discipline, similarly a political party is a useless collection of individuals if there is no discipline to transform the ideals, dedication and commitment of the members into a political force greater than its parts.
This is why the DAP CEC has established a new Disciplinary Committee comprising Sdr. Chian Heng Kai, National Organising Secretary, and Dr. Tan Seng Giaw and Sdr. P. Patto with the specific task to place party discipline on a firm and strong footing.
The Disciplinary Committee will have the following areas to cover:
(i) to deal with disciplinary complaints;
(ii) to review party discipline in every level of party organisation and department;
(iii) to undertake a state—by—state examination of party discipline;
(iv) to ensure financial discipline in the party; and
(v) to formulate a Discipline Guide Book.
With the formation of the new Disciplinary Committee, and the emphasis on party discipline for the next three months, all State Disciplinary Committees which comprised the State Chairman, State Secretary and State Treasurer formed before the Penang National Congress in April 1985
would stand dissolved, until further notice,
The DAP Disciplinary Committee, which met earlier today, had taken an important decision. No member of the Disciplinary Committee would take part in discussion or decision over any disciplinary matte which emanates from his State, In other words, Sdr. Chian Aeng Kai would abstain from participating in any discussion or decision involving the disciplinary matter of any member coming from Penang, Sdr. Dr.Tan Seng Giaw in the case of Selangor and Sdr. P. Patto in the case of Perak.
DAP suggests remanding illegal Indonesian immigrants on five Ma1aysia islands instead of in the prisons
Two months ago, the Prisons Director—General, Datuk Ibrahim Haji Mohamed, issued a directive to all prison heads to release all Indonesians who have served their jail sentences for illegal entry. He also appealed to magistrates and immigration officials to be aware that the prisons, especially in Kuala Lumpur, Johore Baru and Penang, are already overcrowded.
Datuk Ibrahim had said: “Sending illegal immigrants to jail for one to three months will only make the situation worse.”
According to Datuk Ibrahim, illegal Indonesian immigrants whether as prisoners or on remand made up 36 per cent of the prison population. As a result, a cell in the Pudu Prison which is meant for one to three prisoner houses ten or more.
Clearly, if the Special Task Force on Illegal Immigrants which had been given the added task to deal with all illegal immigrants apart from the Vietnamese boat people is serious in rounding up the illegals, the Prisons system would just break down. Last year, 11,715 illegal immigrants were arrested. With the Task Force given the special task to deal with all illegal immigrants, it should aim at a target of arresting 20,000 illegal immigrants a month.
I suggest that the Cabinet should decide to set aside five islands in the country as special remand and custodial centres for the illegal Indonesian immigrants and other illegal foreigners, just as Pulau Bidong was used as holding centre for the Vietnamese boat people;
The concentration of the illegal Indonesian immigrants on the islands would have the added advantage that it would enable n the Malaysian Government to formally ask the Indonesian authorities to arrange for the Indonesian nationals to be sent back.
The Indonesian authorities should be made to understand that as Malaysia and Indonesia had signed an agreement to bring Indonesian labour legally into Malaysia, the presence of the illegal Indonesian immigrants is not only a threat to the peace and security of Malaysians, but would undermine the ASEAN spirit and solidarity between the two peoples.
The DAP National Committee on Illegal Indonesian Immigrants, Filipino Refugees and other Illegal Foreigners under the chairmanship of Sdr. Hu Sepang, National Assistant Organising Secretary, will hold its first meeting in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, 24.9.1985 to discuss the latest developments on the illegal foreigners in the country.
Rais Yatim should ensure that Information Department Civic Courses are not propaganda courses of Barisan Nasional component parties
Recently, the Information Minister, Datuk Rais Yatim, criticised the Malaysian Chinese for showing no interest in the civics courses conducted by the Information Department officials.
The reason is very simple — these are not civic talks but party propaganda by of the Barisan Nasional component parties. It is open knowledge that party hacks and propagandists of the Barisan Nasional component parties are appointed as Information Officers, which is a gross abuse of public funds. With the MCA bringing the Malaysian Chinese the greatest disgrace and shame in Malaysian political history, which Malaysian Chinese of self—respect is going to listen to so—called Information officers who are really MCA party hacks lecturing the Chinese about why they should support MCA or Barisan Nasional?
If Datuk Rais Yatim want the -Information Department civic courses or other programmes getting good response from the people, he should ensure that they are not propaganda courses for the Barisan Nasional component parties. For a start, he should dismiss from service all Information officials who are really appointees of the various Barisan parties.