Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Sandakan on Friday, 18.4.1986 at 11 am.
DAP will not contest in Sabah state general elections and will give full support to PBS to enable Sabahans to asset their right to democracy and justice in Malaysia
The DAP has decided not to contest in the Sabah State General Elections and to give full support to the PBS to enable Sabahans the opportunity to assert their right to democracy and justice in Malaysia.
In my visit to Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan, and discussion with DAP leaders, members and supporters, there were mixed views as to whether the DAP should contest in the coming general elections.
One schools of thought favoured contest in the Sabah State general elections to attempt a breakthrough by the DAP in the Sabah State Assembly, which could also help stabilise the political situation in Sabah by giving support to PBS on the big issues of State Government survival, while giving advice to PBS on question affecting the livelihood of the people.
The other school is of the view that the DAP should make the sacrifice of not contesting the Sabah State General Elections, but to give full support to the PBS not only to win big, but to secure two-third majority in the Sabah State Assembly.
The DAP has decided against contesting in the Sabah State General Elections, and to give full support to the PBS instead, for the following reasons:
Firstly, the coming General Elections in Sabah is not a question of which party should rule Sabah. Even more important, it is a question as to whether the people of Sabah are entitled to democracy and justice, or whether they have no right to choose the government, party and candidate of their choice.
The 12-day of anarchy, illegal demonstrations, bomb blasts, arson, and rioting had changed the significance of the Sabah State General Elections. At stake is no more the question as to whether PBS should win or lose, or whether the DAP should make a breakthrough or not, but whether the people of Sabah could be sat upon, bullied, terrorised and denied of their democratic right to determine their own political future through coercion by resort to illegal, unconstitutional and extra-parliamentary tactics or interference from Kuala Lumpur.
The Federal authorities and the Barisan Nasional in Kuala Lumpur cannot disclaim responsibility for the 12-day of fear, unrest and violence in Sabah in March, for if the Federal authorities and the police had discharged their constitutional duty to uphold law and order, and nipped the ****the beginning the campaign and agitation to escalate fear, unless and violence, the 12-day anarchy would never have got off the ground.
Why should the people of Sabah suffer the 12-day of disorder, fear and insecurity to life and property just because they exercised their constitutional and democratic right to choose the government, party and candidate of their choice?
The coming Sabah State General Election is therefore the battle for Sabahans to restore democracy, regain their rights as full Malaysian citizens to the untrammeled exercise of their right to democracy, regain the self-dignity, honour and rights to justice of Sabahans by telling Kuala Lumpur in no uncertain terms that the Sabahans are not people who could be intimidated or pushed around as if they are second or third class Malaysians.
Sabahans must use the coming Sabah State General Elections to let Kuala Lumpur and all political parties and leaders in Sabah who had treated the life, property and rights of Sabahans lightly in the 12-day of anarchy of Sabah know the fury of the people. But this is a fury which is expressed through the ballot box, in accordance with the constitutional provisions and the parliamentary democratic process, and not through illegal, unconstitutional or extra-parliamentary means.
Malaysians in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak fully support the right of Sabahans to restore democracy, justice, self-honour and dignity in the Sabah State General Elections, for oppression, in justice and inequality against any Malaysian anywhere must be regarded as an oppression, injustice and inequality against all Malaysians and the nation.
Everybody in Sabah, and even in Malaysia, know who are the people responsible for the 12-day anarchy of illegal demonstrations, bomb blasts, arson and rioting, but the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, seems to be the only person who does not know the involvement of the USNO and Berjaya already.
So long as the USNO and Berjaya leaders are not arrested and charged for their role in the 12-day of anarchy in Sabah in March, and also for their attempt at the illegal grab for power on 22nd April 1985, it represent the height of injustice and unfairness which every right-thinking and justice-loving Sabahan must protest strongly and unreservedly.
The Sabah State General elections is therefore a protest by all Sabahans against the injustice and unfairness of Federal government action, as well as against the unconstitutional and illegal actions of the USNO and Berjaya leaders, in the 12 days in March and in the last 11 months of PBS rule.
The people of Sabah must make their protest, and assertion for democracy and justice, loud and clear, unequivocal and unmistakable, to be heard not only Malaysia but by the whole world on May 5 and 6, 1986.
It is for this reason that the DAP has decided to make the sacrifice of not contesting in the Sabah State General Elections, so that all Sabahans could rally behind the PBS to save democracy and to uphold justice. The people of Sabah should vote for democracy and justice on May 5 and 6. For this purpose, the DAP calls on all Sabah voters to vote for PBS in the coming general elections.
Although the DAP has decided not to contest in the Sabah State General Elections, we have decided to contest the Parliamentary elections in Sabah in a bigger way than in previous elections. There is a great possibility that the Federal elections may be held in May, with the polling being held even before the Sabah State polling sates on May 5 and 6.
During the 12-day of anarchy in Sabah in March, the DAP had spoken up for the rights of Sabahans to democracy and justice in Parliament, and we believe that the same objective to assert the right of Sabahans to democracy and justice could be served by the voters of Sabah supporting the PBS in the Sabah State General Elections and voting for the DAP in the Parliamentary general elections.
The DAP’s support of the PBS in the Sabah State General Elections is unconditional and unqualified, and I have not discussed with any PBS leader about the DAP’s decision to stay out of the Sabah State General Elections and to contest in a big way in the Parliamentary general elections.
We shall leave it to the wisdom and decision of the voters of Sabah if State and Parliamentary general elections are held almost simultaneously, as to whether they agree with the DAP’s decision to give full support attempting to contest in a major way in the parliamentary general elections.
Finally, the people of Sabah should use the Sabah State General Elections to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Federal Government that the problem of the illegal Filipino ‘refugees’ and ‘immigrants’ must be resolved once and for all.
The 12-day of anarchy have told Sabahans of the criminal activities they are capable, and they represent a serious threat to the political, economic and nation-building development of Malaysians for the medium and long term. This is also probably the last opportunity for Sabahans, in the Sabah State and Parliamentary elections, to demand firm action to repatriate the Filipino ‘refugees’ and ‘illegals’ so that the Sabah state is ‘liberated’ from their presence and threat.
If the solution to the problem of Filipino ‘refugees’ and ‘illegals’ is delayed any further, then it would become insoluble, for they would have swamped the Sabah populations by becoming, legally but mostly unlawfully, citizens with the right to determine the future of the original Sabah populace.