by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, Nov. 29, 1985:
Ten DAP MPs send protest cable to Prime Minister at use of his book, “The Malay Dilemma’ for the STPM General Paper, seeking his assurance that there would be no recurrence in future
The ten DAP MPs have today sent a protest cable to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, at the use of his books, ‘The Malay Dilemma’ for the STPM General Paper question this year, and seeking his intervention and assurance that there would be no recurrence in future.
The protest cable of the 10 DAP MPs to the Prime Ministers reads:
“YAB Perdana Menteri,
Kuala Lumpur.
We, the 10 DAP MPs, strongly protest against the use of your book, ‘The Malay Dilemma, for the STPM General paper this year. You will agree that your assimilation theory on nation-building in Malaysia in ‘The Malay Dilemma’ is highly-politicised and emotionally-charged issue, which is inappropriate as an STPM examination question. We seek your intervention and assurance that ‘The Malay Dilemma’ would not be used for future STPM General Paper questions, and your public stand that it is not the government policy that your book become compulsory reading for all STPM students.
Lim Kit Siang (Kota Melaka)
Dr. Chen Man Hin (Seremban)
Karpal Singh (Jelutong)
Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong)
Lee Lam Thye (Kuala Lumpur Bandar)
Chan Kok Kit (Sungai Besi)
Fung Ket Wing (Sandakan)
Sim Kwang Yang (Bandar Kuching)
Ling Sie Ming(Sibu)
Gooi Hock Seng (Bukit Bendera)
The DAP Parliamentary Group would send representatives to meet the Chairman of the Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC), Royal Professor Ungku Aziz, to find out the real intentions of the Council using an extract from ‘The Malay Dilemma’ for a STPM General Paper question.
If the MEC Secretary-General, Syed Abu Bakar barakhbar, is not trying to play games when he said that the MEC merely wanted to test ‘the maturity and ability to argue and think critically’ of the STPM candidates in using an extract from ‘The Malay Dilemma’, we would like to find out from Royal Professor Ungku Azia whether the MEC examiners have also been given the freedom and liberty to use extracts from my book ‘Time Bombs in Malaysia’ or Malaysian in the Dangerous Eighties’ as a basis for future STPM General Paper questions.
I also call on the Education Minister, Datuk Abdullah Badawi, to clarify the situation, whether STPM General Paper teachers are now required to use ‘The Malay Dilemma’ as reference or teaching material, or whether there is any rule prohibiting its use. If there is none, then would the General Paper teachers also be allowed to refer or use ‘Time Bombs in Malaysia’ or ‘Malaysia in the Dangerous Eighties’ as materials for discussion in General Paper classes?
DAP calls on the Malaysia Government to promote people-to-people relations between Malaysia and China
I congratulate the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, for his nine-day visit to China to improve the bilateral relations between the two governments of Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China.
The time has now come, 11 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysian and China in 1974 by Tun Razak, for the further development of Malaysia-China relations by the promotion of people-to-people relations between the two countries. The first step should be the lifting of travel ban for Malaysians to visit China.
I am glad that the Prime Minister now agrees with the DAP that the Communist Party of Malaysia (CPM) issue should not be allowed to become a stumbling block to the progressive normalization of relations between the two countries.
Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, in his return press conference last night, said he had made it clear to his Chinese counterpart that Malaysian Chinese should be considered Malaysians. The Prime Minister said: “They are not overseas Chinese. They are Malaysians and they are no more and no less than the other races in Malaysia”.
I fully agree and endorse Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir’s statement about the real status of the Malaysian Chinese in the country. However, government leaders should not merely make such statements outside the country but should live up to such statements in their policies and measures inside the country. For a start, the Prime Minister should issue a directive to all UMNO leaders to stop referring to the Malaysian Chinese or other non-Malays as ‘kaum pendatang’ or ‘immigrants’. If UMNO government leaders continue to refer to the Malaysian Chinese, for instance, as ‘immigrants’, then they are the ones who are continuing to regard the Malaysian Chinese as ‘Overseas Chinese’.
Secondly, I call on the Government to show faith and trust in the Malaysian Chinese and not to harbour doubts about their loyalty and sincerity to the country, which is one strong reason for the government’s refusal to allow people-to-people relations between Malaysia and China, as in free visits to China.
On the return of the third Prime Minister of Malaysia to visit China, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir must without any more delay, honour the 11-year pledge of the Barisan Nasional government to solve the citizenship problem of the 300,000 stateless red identity card holders in Malaysia. I hope that the MCA and Gerakan Ministers and MPs will not be as forgetful about the sufferings of the 300,000 red identity card holders as the UMNO MPs and Ministers.
Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir should visit Sabah before visiting ant other country or state
Now that Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed has visited China, he should visit Sabah before going to any other foreign country or even any other state in Malaysia.
As Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir has a responsibility to demonstrate that all Malaysians, regardless of any state or under any political rule, can expect fair play, justice and impartial interest in their welfare by the Federal Government. I am not asking Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir to visit Sabah as Chairman of the Barisan Nasional, but as Prime Minister of Malaysia, to express the Federal Government’s emphasis and sincerity in wanting to further national integration, in particular Sabah and Sarawak with Peninsular Malaysia.