Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary – General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at DAP Hqrs in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, November 26, 1991 at 12 noon
DAP calls on all Malaysians concerned about mother – tongue education and all Chinese organisations to be concerned about the greatest concession of
the MCA in its 41 – year history
I had early this morning faxed a fourth letter to the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, sending him a Draft MCA – DAP Declaration on the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools.
My fourth letter was faxed to Liong Sik at MCA Headquarters at 9 a.m. the letter reads:
“26th November 1991
YB Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik,
President,
MCA.
YB Datuk Seri,
Draft Joint MCA – DAP Declaration on the Constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools.
_______________________________________________________________________________
I am sending you the following Draft MCA –DAP Declaration on the Constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools:
Draft MCA – DAP Joint Declaration on the Constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools
___________________________________________________________________________________
MCA and DAP, following the meeting between the MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik and DAP Secretary – General, Lim Kit Siang, at the MCA Headquarters on Tuesday, November 26, 1991 signed the following Joint Declaration on the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools;
MCA and DAP jointly declare that we are aware that there are extremist and chauvinist UMNO leaders who challenge the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools;
AFFRRM that Article 152 of the Malaysian Constitution provides the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools;
CALL on the Chinese community and all Chinese organisations to be ever – vigilant to defend, protect and uphold the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools;
AGREE to establish a MCA – DAP Joint Council to defend, protect and promote the constitutional right, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools;
REITERATE that both the MCA and DAP will not compromise on the constitutional right, status and guarantee of Chinese primary schools in Malaysia and will jointly oppose any person, pressure or political party which seeks to question, undermine or challenge the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools; and
COMMIT all national, state and branch leaders of the MCA and DAP, including Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Members of Parliament, State Executive Councillors and Assemblymen – whether in Parliament, Government, Cabinet, or outside – to take a common united stand on the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools.
In my first letter faxed to you on November 19, 1991, I had proposed a meeting with you at the MCA Headquarters today at 11 a.m. to discuss the MCA policy on the constitutional status of Chinese primary schools. In my letter, I had also invited you to suggest an alternative date and time if a meeting today is unsuitable for you.
Although a few mainstream MCA leaders have declared their position on this proposed meeting at the MCA Headquarters, I have not received any response from you. Please let me know within an hour whether you are agreeable to a meeting at MCA Hqrs at 11 a.m.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Lim Kit Siang
Secretary – General
It has never been my intention to ‘gatecrash’ the MCA Headquarters if Liong Sik does not agree to a meeting. My first letter to Liong Sik made this very clear when I said:
“ I propose visiting MCA headquarters next Tuesday, November 27, 1991 at 11a.m to discuss with you the speech of MCA Deputy President, Datuk Lee Kim Sai, in Bukit Mertajam last week which represented the greatest concession of the MCA in its 42 – year history in declaring that there is no constitutional right, basis or guarantee for the existence of Chinese primary schools in Malaysia.
“Please let me know whether the proposed date and time is convenient for you. I am open to another mutually convenient date.”
If I had intended to ‘gatecrash’ the MCA Headquarters regardless of whether Liong Sik agrees to meet me or not, I would have worded my letter differently and would have said:
“I propose visiting MCA headquarters next Tuesday, November 27, 1991 at 11 a.m. to meet you, and regardless of whether you are willing or able to meet me or not, I shall be at the MCA Headquarters at the given date and time”.
The question of ‘gatecrash of MCA Hqrs’ never existed, but was the concoction of MCA leaders who panicked at my proposal for a meeting because they could not justify their greatest concession in 42 – year history
The question of ‘gatecrash of MCA Hqrs’ never existed, but was a concoction of the MCA leaders who panicked at my proposal of a meeting because they could not justify their greatest concession in 42 – year history.
In fact, if Liong Sik had immediately responded to my first letter on 19th November 1991 proposing the meeting at the MCA Head – quarters and said that he does not agree to such a meeting, the matter would have ended there.
But it is because Liong Sik had not himself responded to my proposal, that I had continued to hope that the MCA President would agree at the last minute to such a meeting, not for the interest of either the DAP or MCA, but for the interests of the people and in particular the Malaysian Chinese with regard to the constitutional right and status of mother – tongue education and Chinese primary schools.
What the MCA leadership did in the last two weeks is one of the most regrettable episodes in the 42 – year history of the MCA. They mobilised the entire MCA propaganda machinery to carry out a campaign of disinformation, distortion, abuses and even lies.
For instance, they turned a proposal for a meeting between the DAP and MCA at the MCA Headquarters into a ‘gatecrash’, with MCA national, state and branch leaders issuing about twenty statements a day about a ‘gatecrash of MCA headquarters’ as if a great war is on the verge of a break – out.
It would appear that one of the things that MCA leaders dread most is having a meeting with the DAP – although I do not blame the MCA leaders, considering their political record, for having this mentality.
To put the record straight, I did not ‘gatecrash’ the MCA Headquarters in March last year when I went there to meet Liong Sik over the issue of the KSM Multi – Purpose Holdings Bhd. Investment Fund. I went to the MCA Headquarters because Liong Sik agreed to a meeting with me. Although the meeting was later called off because MCA leaders refused to give a satisfactory account of the issue and turned the meeting into a free – for – all shouting, it did not make my visit a ‘gatecrash of MCA Headquarters’.
The doors of DAP Headquarters is always open to Liong Sik and I am prepared to welcome and receive him at the DAP Headquarters any time
If Liong Sik had not agreed to a meeting with me at the MCA Headquarters over the KSM – MPHB Investment Fund issue in March last year, I would not have gone to the MCA Hqrs.
In the past few days, the MCA leaders at various levels had not only spread the untruth that I was going to ‘gatecrash the MCA headquarters’, they even talked about coming to ‘gatecrash the DAP Headquarters’.
Whether the MCA leaders want to ‘gatecrash the DAP Headquarters’ or not is for them to decide. But as far as the DAP is concerned, the door of the DAP Headquarters is wide open to the MCA leaders, and I am prepared to welcome and receive Liong Sik at the DAP Headquarters anytime.
The entire MCA was engaged in a highly – organised ‘unreasoning disturbance’ throughout the country in the last two weeks
In the last two weeks, the people can see for themselves that the entire MCA was engaged in a highly – organised ‘unreasoning disturbance’ throughout the country in the last two weeks.
The DAP had one only one purpose: to defend and uphold the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the Chinese primary schools and to seek to get the MCA leadership to retract its greatest concession in its 42 – year history.
The MCA leadership refused to address this issue and was unable to end the entire controversy with a simple one – sentence statement: that the Constitution provides the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence of Chinese primary schools and the MCA will forever defend, protect and uphold this Constitutional right.
In order to distract public attention from their greatest concession in the 42 – year MCA party history and their inability to utter the simple one – sentence statement upholding the constitutional right and status of Chinese primary schools, the MCA leaders mobilised its entire national propaganda machinery to pour put abuses, false – hoods, lies and character – assassination which is even more intense than during a general elections.
I am sure the people must have asked themselves why the MCA leadership, if it had not made the greatest concession in its 42 – year history, had to resort to such a high – powered nation – wide propaganda campaign of abuses, lies and character – assassination.
I refuse to be deflected by this MCA propaganda campaign of disinformation – and I call on all Malaysians who are concerned about the constitutional position of mother – tongue education not to be distracted from the issue in the DAP – MCA controversy: why the MCA status, protection and guarantee for the Chinese primary schools.
Liong Sik and the present MCA leaders will not be around when the full effects of the MCA concession are felt in five years or more, but future generations will suffer for what the MCA leaders had done
With the refusal of Liong Sik and the MCA leadership to agree to a meeting with the DAP at the MCA Headquarters today, and the refusal and inability of Liong Sik and the MCA leadership to clearly and publicly declare that the MCA recognises and will uphold the constitutional right and status of Chinese primary schools, the two – week DAP – MCA controversy has established beyond any shadow of doubt that the MCA has made the greatest concession in its 42 – year history.
For this reason, I call on all Malaysians who are concerned about the constitutional right and status of Chinese primary schools and all Chinese organisations to be very concerned about such a concession by the MCA.
In the first three decades of Malaysian nationhood, only extremist and chauvinist leaders in UMNO have advocated that there is no constitutional right, status or guarantee for the existence of Chinese primary schools.
Now, in the 1990s, preparing for the next 30 years towards Vision 2020, the MCA leadership has taken the decision to join the ranks of these extremist and chauvinist UMNO leaders and to agree that there is no constitutional right, status or guarantee for the existence of Chinese primary schools.
The consequence of conceding away constitutional rights, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools would have far – reaching long – term consequences affecting future generations.
The adverse effects may not be seen for next three or five years, but there is no doubt that the long – term effects and consequences would be felt in the decade of the 1990s and even more so in the first two decades of the 21st century.
When the full effects of such a concession that there is no constitutional right, basis, status or guarantee for Chinese primary schools are felt, whether five years later or more, Liong Sik and the present MCA leaders would not be around to answer for the greatest MCA concession in 42 – years – but future generations would have to suffer for what the present MCA leadership has done.
Four – Point Proposal for MCA leadership to retract its greatest concession in MCA history
I hope that MCA leadership will reconsider and retract this concession. Let Liong Sik and the MCA leadership put the interests of the people above their party and self interest.
I call on the MCA leadership to come out with a clear – cut policy stand to retract this concession, by declaring and reaffirming:
1. The Constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for the existence and development of Chinese primary schools;
2. MCA’s commitment to defend, protect and uphold this constitutional right and status of Chinese primary schools;
3. Repudiating the statement by the MCA Deputy President, Datuk Lee Kim Sai, that there is no constitutional right, status or protection for Chinese primary schools; and
4. Signing the joint MCA – DAP Declaration on the constitutional right, basis, status and guarantee for Chinese primary schools – a draft of which I had sent to Liong Sik in my fourth letter to him this morning.