Speech by Parliamentary Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at the DAP Malacca State ‘Party Reform’ reception of Malacca DAP State and Branch leaders held in Malacca on Monday, 30th March, 1992 at 7pm.
As MCA is incapable of ensuring that the Government adheres to the Vision 2020, how can the people believe the MCA claim that if there is no DAP, the MCA can guarantee that Vision 2020 would be achieved in an earlier date.
The DAP has played a great and irreplaceable role in the nation’s history in the past quarter of a century to defend and promote the fundamental rights of all Malaysians to democracy, human rights, social and economic justice.
The role that is played by the Gerakan and MCA could be performed by any one, but the role of the DAP could not be performed except by DAP leaders, cadres and supporters.
This is why the DAP has a very powerful answer to the question as to what the DAP can achieve as it is in the opposition?
If there is no DAP, there is no Vision 2020, for Vision 2020 was proclaimed by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed to compete with the DAP for the support of the people, in particular in the urban areas.
This is why I stated that if for some reason there is no DAP today, the Vision 2020 would also be conveniently forgotten once the Barisan Nasional government finds that there is no need to compete with the DAP for the support of the people.
One MCA leader responded to this statement by claiming that if the DAP should ‘close shop’, the MCA would guarantee that Vision 2020 would be achieves in an earlier date.
This boast of MCA leader had become the ridicule and joke of commentators and the people.
As the MCA leaders cannot ensure that the Barisan Nasional Government adhere to Vision 2020 in its policies, how can the MCA expect the people to believe that it could guarantee that Vision 2020 would be realized at an earlier date if there is no more DAP?
In many areas today, the Barisan Nasional Government plicies are not taking the country towards Vision 2020 but backwards towards the 1970s, 1960s and even before 1950s.
For instance, the Foreign Investment Committee’s proposed new guidelines was an attempt to take Malaysia backwards to the New Economic Policy of the 1980s and 1970s, as when the Industrialization Ordination Act scared off both foreign and local investment.
The cabinet should decide whether is is MCA or Gerakan which should claim credit for the withdrawal of the FIC’s proposed new guidelines.
A responsible, competent and trustworthy MCA leadership would not have allowed the foreign Investment committee to propose such new guidelines in the first place.
If not for the DAP and DAPSY taking the public lead to oppose and demand the withdrawal of the FIC’s draft new guidelines which compelled the MCA leadership to express its unhappiness, the FIC’s proposed new guidelines would probably have become government policy with all the adverse repercussions on the nation’s investment climate.
It is of course easy for MCA and even Gerakan leaders to now claim credit for the withdrawal of the FIC’s proposed new guidelines after the cabinet had taken a policy decision to shelve it.
MCA leaders claim that they are solely responsible for the withdrawal of the FIC’s proposed new guidelines. Even Gerakan Leaders have now publicly claimed credit with the Greakan National Deputy Chairman, Kerk Cho Ting, claiming that if it was the Gerakan and not MCA which was responsible for the withdrawal of the FIC’s proposed new guidelines.
May be the cabinet would decide whether it is the MCA or Gerakan which can claim credit for the withdrawal of FIC’s proposed new guidelines.
But one fact is indisputable – if not for the DAP setting the pace in speaking up for the people in being the first to oppose the FIC’s proposed new guidelines, the guidelines would never have been withdrawn and probably no MCA or Gerakan leader would have dared to make a public statement on it up to now.
MCA has no views in many important areas, adopting UMNO actions as instant MCA policy, like the Independence of the Judiciary.
The DAP can enumerate many instances where government policies and actions are contrary to the Vision 2020, taking Malaysia backwards by many decades.
For instance, the Barisan Nasional Government is continuing to devide Malaysians instead of pioneering the path to create a Bangsa Malaysia as envisaged in Vision 2020 when it set up a $500 million revolving fund to give $5,000 interest-free loans to bumiputra hard-core poor when non-bumiputra hard-core poor are not entitled to this benefit.
If the Barisan Nasional is sincere about Vision 2020, isn’t it time that the government should stop discriminating between bumiputra and non-bumiputra hard-core poor, and give equal assistance to all hard-core poor regardless of race?
The attack on the principle of the independence of the judiciary is another example of the Barisan Nasional taking the country backwards instead of forwards.
It is significant that there are many areas, like the principle of the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law where MCA had completely abandoned the right to have any views of its own. MCA has given UMNO full power of attorney to do anything it likes in these important areas adopting all UMNO decisions and actions and automatic MCA policy.