Call on Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed not to be the most undemocratic Prime Minister in Malaysia by holding the shortest election campaign in history

by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Malacca on Saturday, 19.4.1986:

Call on Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed not to be the most undemocratic Prime Minister in Malaysia by holding the shortest election campaign in history

Last week, UMNO National Vice President and Barisan Nasional scretarygeneral, Ghaffar Baba, told Barisan Nasional component parties to campaign for the general elections immediately as the three week period between dissolution of Parliament and Polling would be reduced from dissolution of Parliament and Polling would be reduced from three weeks to two weeks.

This confirm my information earlier that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, wants to change the election regulations to cut the election campaign period from the minimum of two weeks between Nomination and Polling to seven days.

I call on Dr. Mahathir not to be the most undemocratic Prime Minister in Malaysia by holding the shortest election campaign in history.

He should respect the democratic right of the voters to have the time and opportunity to study and choose the party, candidate and political platforms presented to the people during the general elections, and not trample on the right of the voters to exercise their vote democratically.

I also call on the Elections Commission Chairman and Members to demonstrate that they are independent and impartial as provided for by the Constitution, and not ‘stooges’ who have to take directives and orders from the UMNO about changing election regulations to shorten the campaign period.

DAP urges the convening of special parliamentary meeting to condemn US aggression against Libya

DAP calls on the Prime Minister to convene a special Parliamentary meeting to condemn US air attacks against Libya which is an act of aggression.

A special meeting and resolution by the Malaysian Parliament to condemn US aggression against Libya would convey Malaysia’s condemnation of the US brutal action in the strongest possible fashion to the US and the world.

World peace can never be assured if superpowers like the US are allowed to commit aggression against other countries with impunity, as happened in Afghanistan by the Soviet Union.

The Senate, which was in session when the US committed its blatant aggression against Libya, should have adopted a motion to condemn US action, but not a single Senator was concerned or bothered about the US aggression. This shows the utter irrelevance and waste of public money which the Senate stands for.

The DAP fully endorses the call for the Malaysian Government to boycott the forthcoming meeting in Bali between President Reagon and ASEAN leaders as a protest against the IS aggression in Libya, and the cancellation of the planned visit of Mrs. Nancy Reagon to Malaysia.