Speech (Part II) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at the Malacca DAP Welcome Ceramah for the 27 Chinese Educationists and human rights activists for their entry into the DAP held at Pay Fong Chinese Independent Secondary Schooll hall on Monday, 3rd September 1990 at 8 p.m.
The Election Commission should call for a meeting of all political parties to draw up a code of conduct to ensure that the next general elections will be ‘free, fair, clean and honest’
All the Barisan Nasional leaders are worried about the next general elections because for the first time in Malaysian political history, with the emergence of a two-coalition system, all the Barisan Nasional constituencies I the next general elections are going to be contested b the Opposition, and there is not going to be a single uncontested walk-over for any Barisan Nasional candidate.
Also for the first time in Malaysian history, there will not be any safe seat for any Barisan Nasional leader, especially from the MCA, Gerakan and MIC.
The next general elections hold out the possibility to the people to bring about great political changes unimaginable in the past 33 years, from denial of the traditional two-thirds parliamentary majority to even a change of government with the replacement of Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed as Prime Minister by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Many Barisan Nasional leaders are afraid of losing in the next general elections, and they are resorting to all sorts of tactics to cheat in the next general elections.
This is why recently, more and more Barisan Nasional Ministers and leaders are threatening the people that if they vote for the Opposition, there would be trouble, chaos and even another May 13.
this is the height of irresponsibility. A general elections will have no meaning if the voters cannot vote for a change of government if this is their choice.
Dr. Mahathir boasts about the system of parliamentary democracy in Malaysia, yet when there is the emergence of a two-coalition system which could bring about great political changes, he and others in the Barisan start threatening the people with the fear of May 13.
India has had four changes of government through the ballot box, whereas Malaysia has not experienced a single change of government through the ballot box yet.
Is Dr. Mahathir suggesting that democracy in Malaysia is an inferior and sub-standard kind when compared to the Indian system of parliamentary democracy?
Is the Malaysian system of parliamentary democracy an unique one in the world where the voters do not have the right to vote for a change of government of Prime Minister?
The Opposition leaders, whether from DAP, Semangat 46 or AMIPF, are prepared to lose in the next general elections in a free and fair contest, and we will humbly accept the verdict of the people. Are the Barisan Nasional leaders, particularly from UMNO, prepared to accept defeat if they are rejected in the next general elections?
Is Dr. Mahathir prepared to hand over the Prime Ministership to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah if this is the will and verdict of the people in the next general elections?
This will be critical test of parliamentary democracy in Malaysia.
DAP calls on the Election Commission to call a meeting of all political parties to draw up a code of conduct to end\sure that the next general elections is free, fair, clean and honest, with all competing political parties and candidates making a commitment not to use the politics of fear and the politics of corruption.
An independent monitoring body should be set up to ensure that this code of conduct is adhered to by all political parties, and that no political party be allowed to resort to unscrupulous and undemocratic means to cheat in the next general elections.