Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at the Rawang DAP ceramah at Rawang, Selangor, on Sunday, 20th April 1986 at 8 pm
Those who supported Tung Chiau Chung “Attack into BN to rectify BN’ in 1982 general elections are now supporting PAS against the DAP in coming general elections
The coming general elections will see a new phenomenon, the open support of PAS by certain self-claimed champions of Chinese. If we look at the background of these people, we will find one conclusion: that those who in the 982 general elections supported the concept of Tung Chiau Chung attack into the BN to rectify the BN’ to cause DAP’s disastrous electorial defeats are now supporting PAS this time against the DAP in the coming general elections.
These people have only one objective, in 1982 as well as in coming general elections – to help Barisan Nasional and in particular UMNO to defeat the DAP. Whatever their public claims, these people know that the PAS stands no chance whatsoever in the urban seats or among the Malaysian Chinese electorate, but PAS’ participation with these people standing as candidates might help to split and reduce the DAP’s voters – benefitting the BN candidates, whether Gerakan or MCA.
We can understand, although we cannot agree, with PAS’ objectives of an Islamic State. Under the UMNO’s Islamisation policy launched after the 1982 general elections as a result of BN’s landslide elections victory, the non-Muslims strongly feel that their basic rights are being infringed upon. Yet UMNO’s Islamisation policy and measures represent only a few per cent of what would have happened in an Islamic State. I just cannot understand how these so-called champions of the Malaysian Chinese could give support to PAS’ Islamic State objective.
In an Islamic State, the present Constitution would be scrapped and replaced by an Islamic Constitution based on the Koran. Non-Muslims would not be allowed to be MPS, Assemblymen, Ministers, Prime Minister, or top government official or judges, for non-Muslims would not be fit to decide on the policy future of an Islamic State.
The entire basis and concept of political power would be changed. At present, our Constitution is based on the concept of parliamentary democracy – where power is derived from the people. This is why there is periodic general elections to renew the people’s mandate. But in an Islamic State and Constitution, power is not derived from the people. But from the Koran! The present system of elections, however faulty and unsatisfactory, would be scrapped altogether!
The self-proclaimed champions of the Chinese are in fact suggesting that the Malaysian Chinese throw the ‘baby out with the bathwater’. The bathwater is dirty and must be changed, just as the political conditions and circumstances are unequal and unjust, and should be reformed.
But it would do the Malaysian Chinese more harm than good to throw ‘the baby out with the bathwater’, by tearing up a Constitution based on the right of the people to finally decide nation’s future, with an Islamic Constitution which is based on the final sovereign power of Koran!
I want to ask these people, who in 1982 had supported the concept of Tung Chiau Chung’ Attack into the BN to rectify the BN’, whether it is now their real and true intention to come out in the next general elections through their open support of PAS?
In Perak, a PAS Perak Chinese Consultative Council had been formed, and similar such committees would be formed in other states. But the real ‘masterminds’ are not people who sit on the PAS Perak CCC, for these were just stooges of others who at present have remained in the background.
The DAP has said it was prepared to co-operate with PAS in the coming general elections, not to support PAS’ Islamic State objective, but to join forces to deny Barisan Nasional’s its two-third parliamentary majority.
These people however feared a DAP-Pas electorial understanding, and had succeeded in giving PAS leaders the belief that the Malaysian Chinese have now rejected DAP and would support PAS. These people are very ‘smart’ people – and this is why they are also using the slogan ‘Choose the Person and not the Party’ – but the people must ask them what they are using their ‘smartness’ for?
I want to make it clear that the DAP is not prepared to be caught by a last-minute surprise, as happened in the 1982 general elections, suddenly confronted with a new opponent who we had always regarded as ‘comrade-in-arms’, shouting the slogan ‘Attack into BN to rectify the BN’.
The last-minute development on the eve of the 1982 general elections did not enable the DAP to have time to expose the hollowness of this platform of Tung Chiau Chung ‘Attack into the BN to rectify the BN’. The events of the past four years have shown that the Tung Chiau Chung’s ‘Attack into BN to rectify the BN’ in 1982 was a great disaster for the rights of the Malaysian Chinese.
The DAP will be failing in our duty to ourself, the people and country, if we allow ourselves to be caught by another last minute surprise – where during the short campaign period, we would have no time to expose the trickery of those who proclaim support for PAS against the DAP, purportedly to teach the UMNO a lesson. Finally, it is again the Malaysian Chinese would who would be the losers.
The DAP leadership has decided to take this issue t the people openly and directly, and let these people justify their actions to the Malaysian Chinese who they claim to be the new saviors.