Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, to DAP Tanjong Constituency Liaison Committee meeting held at Penang DAP Hqrs at Kinta Lane, Penang on Tuesday, 21st January 1992 at 8.30 p.m.
MCA and MCA Youth will accept Islamic theocratism if this is the wish of UMNO, as MCA had done in the past
The MCA Youth Leader, Chan Kong Choy, came to Penang yesterday to continue the MCA campaign of lies against the DAP and accused the DAP of supporting Islamic theocratism, meaning that the DAP endorses the establishment of an Islamic State in Malaysia.
The MCA leaders are trying their utmost through endless repetition of lies and falsehoods in the mass media to try to destroy the political integrity and credibility of the DAP and its leaders.
Although DAP leaders, members and loyal supporters know that the MCA leaders are telling lies and untruths, no DAP leader, member or supporter should dismiss the power of a lie repeated thousands of times by different MCA leaders to mislead those who do not keep abreat with political events and developments.
We must not allow a single person to be misled by the MCA campaign of lies that the DAP supports an Islamic State.
DAP’s campaign of truth against the MCA’s campaign of lies
The best way to counter the MCA campaign of lies is for the DAP to launch a campaign of truth, to let the people see the true political picture in the country.
The DAP’s campaign of truth should be divided into two aspects. The first aspect is to remind the people of the DAP’s principled stand over the past 25 years for cultural democracy, religious freedom and a secular Malaysia for which many DAP leaders had been detained under the Internal Security Act.
The DAP has a consistent record of taking a courageous and uncompromising stand against attempts to impose Islamic laws and values on non-Muslim Malaysians, which no political party in the Barisan Nasional can compare or match.
It will be a thick book if we compile the record of what the DAP had done to defend the constitutional rights of non-Muslim Malaysians, as a citizen and as a parent.
The second aspect of the DAP’s campaign of truth is to expose the political opportunism of the MCA and its leaders, who have no political principles and honour to talk about.
MCA has never opposed Islamic theocratism in principle. It only opposed Islamic theocratism today because of its poltical opportunism.
This is because the MCA and MCA Youth will accept and support theocratism if this is the wish of UMNO, as the MCA and MCA Youth had done in the past.
It is a joke for the MCA and MCA Youth to claim they oppose Islamic theocratism
At present, MCA denounced PAS in total rejection. But if tomorrow, UMNO Baru teams up with PAS, the MCA would embrace PAS as a ‘long lost brother’ –as happened in 1974-1977, when PAS leaders became the ‘abang adek’ of MCA and MCA Youth leaders when PAS joined as Barisan Nasnioal coalition.
Similarly, MCA and MCA Youth leaders do not oppose Islamisationmeasures which are prejudicial to the rights and interests of non-Muslim Malaysians, provided they come from UMNo. This is why MCA and MCA Youth leaders could vote in support of the various state Islamic Law Administration Enactments in Selangor, Pahang, Negri Sembilan and Johore although they contained provisions which are detrimental to the rights and interests of non-Muslim.
It is a joke for the MCA and MCA Youth to claim that they oppose theocratism. How can they oppose theocratism when they dare not oppose UMNO Islamisation measures which are detrimental to the rights and interests of non-Muslim Malaysians?
It is sad that MCA and MCA Youth leaders do not approach great issues of the people and country on the basis of principle, but on the basis whether it is associated with UMNO or not.
This is the final evolution of the politics of parasitism of the MCA and MCA Youth, whose leaders do not examine issues from the standpoint of political principle, but whether it has the support of UMNO or not.
The MCA and MCA youth leaders have been doing this since the 1980s, when the UMNO launched a full-scale Islamisation process at national and state levels in all spheres of national life, whether politics, administration, education, economy, culture or nation0building.
Even now, the MCA and MCA Youth are giving blind and unquestioned support to all Islamisation measures conducted by the UMNO whether at the Federal or state governments, regardless of whether they infringe on the rights and interests of the non-Muslim Malaysians or not.
Yesterday itself there were two items of news to show the advanced stage of the UMNO’s push of Islamisation, with the full support of MCA and MCA Youth leaders.
MCA’s further support for UMNO’s latest Islamisation- amending civil laws which conflict with syariah and an Islamic television channel
In Malacca, there was a Southern Zone meeting of the Technical Committee on Islamic and Civil Laws, and according to the Chairman of this Committee, Tan Sri Prof.Haji Ahmad Ibrahim, the Committee will propose to the Government that civil laws which contradict the syariah be amended.
There are no representatives from the other religions, whether Buddhism, Christianity, Sikkhism or Hinduism, on this Committee. Why did the MCA and MCA youth give blind and unthinking support to this Islamisation measure?
Yesterday, the Information Minister, Datuk Mohamed Rahmat, announced that Malaysia is considering establishing an Islamic television channel together with four other Islamic countries, namely Senegal, Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to propagate Islam.
Isn’t it time for the MCA and MCA youth, if they want the people to believe that they are opposed to theocratism, to ensure that Malaysia’s television channels reflect the multi-religious character of Malaysia by transmitting regular programmes of other religious in the country?
While MCA and MCA Youth are proclaiming that they are oppose to theocratism, we see more and more examples of MCA and MCA Youth support for more Islamisation moves by UMNO-as in amending civil law which contradict syariah and an Islamic television channel.
This is the latest proof of the political opportunism and parasitism of the MCA and MCA Youth .