Ceramah speech by Lim Kit Siang, DAP Secretary-General, Tanjong Parliamentary Candidate, Kampong Kolam State Assembly Candidate in Tanjong on Monday, 28.7.1986 at 9am
Whether Lim Kit Siang or Koh Tsu Koon wins or loses is not important: only importance is that the five million Malaysian Chinese should win in the August 3 general elections
I find it most unfortunate that the Gerakan and Barisan Nasional wants to turn the Tanjong and even the retire general elections into the question as to whether it should be a victory for Koh Tsu Koon or Lim Kit Siang.
Let me state clearly, that it is not important whether Lim Kit Siang or Koh Tsu Koon wins or loses in Tanjong, but whether the five million Malaysian Chinese should win in the August 3 1986 general elections.
If my loss in Tanjong can contribute to the victor of the five million Malaysian Chinese, leading to a halt in the nation-building policies of the Barisan Nasional government, as in the official withdrawal of the One Language, One Culture Policy; repeal of Section 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act; the halt to the New Economic Policy; the end to the Islamisation policy and process; the bringing to justice the real culprits of the $2.5 billion BMF scandal, the $200 million EPF scandal, the Finance Minister’s UMBC scandal, the $1 billion mysterious tip-buying scandal through $2 company MAMINCO; the end to the buying scandal mis use of public funds and misrule; the restoration to the Malaysian Chinese their rightful political power, influence and position as first-class citizens of Malaysia- I am prepared to face and accept defeat in Tanjong clamly, without rancour or regrets.
There are those who insists that the Tanjong battle is a ‘personal grudge fight’ between Koh Tsu Koon and myself, and refuse to accept the fact that if there is any personality clash in the 1986 general elections, it is a fight between Dr.Mahathir Mohamed and myself.
These people included certain Chinese educationists who had helped in the 1982 Tung Chiau Chung general elections battle, to whom I had always been regarded as their Public enemy No.1.
These people regard leaders like Dr.Lim Chong Eu, Dr.Lim Keing Yaik, Tan Koon Swan as the greatest Chinese champions in Malaysia, but Lim Kit Siang as worse than a Chinese traitor!
These people are assemblying a Thousand Man Army from all over the country to march to Tanjong to ensure my defeat and political end. To them, the one and most important thing in the 1986 general elections, which is more important then anything else, is to ‘finish off’ Lim Kit Siang.
These people are using the most despicable tactics to character-assassination me, accusing me of the heinous crime of ‘Using Chinese to control Chinese’ tactics.
These Chinese educationists, whose Chinese education is higher than mine, do not seem to understand the meaning of ‘Using Chinese to control Chinese’.
They are accusing me of using the Chinese to control the Chinese, which is not ridiculous but goes against the entire meaning of the term.
These phrase ‘Using Chinese to control Chinese’ Chinese means that an outside race, and in the Malaysian context, it refers to the Malays, are using some Chinese to control Chinewe.
There are therefore always three partied in the strategy of ‘Using Chinese to control Chinese’.
Firstly, the ‘mastermind conspirator’ who is using this strategy, second the ‘Chinese’ who are being used to serve the ends of the ‘master’, and thirdly the Chinese as a whole.
If there us any Chinese who are being used by UMNO or Malay leaders to ‘control’ the Chinese, clearly, it is the component parties in Barisan Nasional, namely the MCA and Gerakan.
As a result of their subservient and unprincipled stand and role in the Barisan Nasional government where MCA and Gerakan leaders are prepared to be accomplices of the most unfair, unjust and undemocratic UMNO policies, like ‘One Language, One Culture Policy, the Islamisation, Policy, the New Economic Policy, if there is any Chinese being made used of if the ‘Use Chinese to control Chinese’ strategy, it is the MCA and Gerakan leaders.
Why is it these Chinese educationists like Soo Thian Min dare not accuse MCA and Gerakan leaders of ‘Use Chinese to control Chinese’, instead of accusing me of this heinous crime?
If I am defeated in Tanjong, and disappear from Parliament, the happiest man in the country will be the Prime Minister, Dr.Mahathir Mohamed.
If there is a ‘Use Chinese to control Chinese’ strategy in operation, the people can know who are the three parties in this strategy, by finding out whom would Dr.Mahathir like to see win in the Tanjong seat!
In my 20 years of political struggle, I have had been detained for 18 months, prosecuted in court under the Official Secrets Act for exposing government corruption and improprieties, sued in court for trying to defend the people and the nation’s rights as in the Esso Case, sacrificed personal and family life- all because of belief that there must be Malaysians who are prepared to stand up and fight for the basic rights of the people for justice, quality and freedom and seek basic policy changes in the country!
If this is a crime, for which the ‘Finish off Lim Kit Siang Thousand Man Army’ is being assembled throughout the country to come to Tanjong to bury me politically, I am prepared to face the consequences.
I have said and u repeat, that the Tanjong battle is no ‘personal grudge’ fight between Lim Kit Siang and Koh Tsu Koon but Lim Kit Siang vs Mahathir Mohamed. The purpose of the Tanjong battle is to spark off the political wind of change from Tanjong, gaining strength in Penang State, and blowing far and wide in the whole Malaysia to make it crystal clear to Dr.Mahathir, UMNO and Barisan Nasional government that there must be formulation of new national policies for Malaysia.
Having decided to put my entire political future in the hands of the people of Tanjong and Penang, then I am prepared to face the ‘Finish Off Lim Kit Siang’ Thousand Man Army, and accept the consequences of my decision to ‘Go for Broke’ in Tanjong. If I am defeated in Tanjong and end my 17-year Parliamentary span, I will accept the verdict of the people of Tanjong gracefully.
I will not, just for the sake of victory, resort to character-assassination of Koh Tsu Koon, accusing him of all sorts of heinous crimes. All that I will do is to continue to point out that alongh he is a good young man, he cannot change one iota of the Barisan Nasional nation-building policies.
In fact, in Parliament, Koh Tsu Koon had to obey the Barisan and UMNO directives, and to obstruct the DAP’s attempt to articulate the aspirations of the people.
I remember in early 1983, when the DAP Pm for Sibu, Ling Sie Ming, (who was the Sarawak State Chairman of the Taiwan Graduates Alumni Assocation), tried to move a motion in Parliament to repeal Section 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act, Koh Tsu Koon played the leading role to drag out parliamentary proceedings to ‘kill’ this motion!
Koh Tsu Koon has to do the UMNO’s bidding because the is part of the Barisan Nasional.
This is also why Deuk Musa Hitam has come to help Koh Tsu Koon to try to get me defeated in Tanjong, saying that it was because of Koh Tsu Koon that the Papan radioactive nuclear waste dump issue in Perak was resolved.
If this is true, why didn’t Musa Hitam say so earlier, waiting until the Tanjong election battle to reveal it?
Are we also to thank Koh Tsu Koon for the $2.5 billion BMF scandal, the UMBC scandal , the $1 billion tin buying scandal, the ‘One Language One Culture’ Policy, the Islamisation policy, loss of political power of the Chinese, lack of educational opportunities for bright yough Malaysian Chinese, and a whole host of others injustices and inequalities?
The secretary of Tung Chiau Chung, Soo Thian Min, said in Penang, that for the ‘survival’ of Thung Chiau Chung, I must be defeated in Tanjong.
I have said that the Tanjong battle is not a battle with Tung Chiau Chung, but DAP’s battle with Barisan Nasional and Dr.Mahathir Mohamed. I do not understand how Soo Thian Min has become the champion of the Barisan Nasional and UMNO’s nation-building policies, including its ‘One Language, One Culture Policy and Islamisation process.
I still hope to avoid a clash with Tung Chiau Chung in Tanjong, if I am defeated by the ‘Finish Off Lim Kit Siang Thousand Man Army’ in Tanjong, so be it. But if I should be elected in Tanjong, is Soo Thian Min meaning that this would mean the ‘death’ of Thung Chiau Chung, which will close shop?
I hope that Soo Thian Ming and other Tung Chiau Chung leaders will let the DAP fights its battle with the Barisan Nasional and Dr.Mahathir Mohamed in the 1986 general elections. If they really believe, as they had been claiming in the past few months and weeks, that all Malaysians must unite to teach Barisan Nasional lesson, had deny Barisan two-third majority, then they should rise above individuals and personalities and help in cutting down the Barisan’s power down to size.
How can the five million Malaysian Chinese win in the general elections. It is by making Dr.Mahathir UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders sit up and realise that the people insists on a total review and reformulation of the national policies of the government.
If on August 3, when the results are counted and announced, and Dr.Mahathir is very happy and can go to sleep with satisfaction of a good election success, then it will be the people’s loss. For the message for Dr.Mahathir is that the people are contented with Barisan policies, has not got enough of them , and can take even more of the unjust, unfair and undemocratic policies and measures, not to mention the host of scandals in the country.
But if on August 3, Bhe esults show a great shirt against the Barisan, removing its two-third majority but still have a majority of about 50 MPw to form the government, it will force Dr.Mahathir, UMNO and Barisan leaders to recognise that the deep discontent of the people over a whole wide range of policies must be addressed and resolved. Otherwise, the government will lose even more public support, and in the general elections five years later, it may be voted out power and office.
Barisan’s defeat in Tanjong and elsewhere to lose two-thirds majority will be good for the people, and in particular the five million Malaysian Chinese, for it win give Dr.Mahathir a clean out message.
The voters must vote solidly to deny Barisan Nasional two-thirds majority, so that Dr.Mahathir will have a few sleepless nights on election night. If Dr.Mahathir can sleep, then the people cannot sleep.