Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit. Siang, at the DAP leadership conference at Hotel Wentworth Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 18th July 1993 at 10 a.m.
If 10,000 Malaysians had registered themselves as voters in eight constituencies in the last general elections and exercised their- right no vote against the Barisan Nasional the Barisan Nasional would have lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority
In the 10-day Parliamentary meeting starting tomorrow, Parliament would be asked to approve another Constitution Amendment Bill – the third this year – just for .the sake of one person, to allow Tun Mustapha to keep his Sabah State Assembly seat of Usukan while being appointed Federal Minister for Sabah Affairs.
This must be the most blatant abuse of the two-thirds majority in the history of Malaysian Parliament, where the Malaysian Constitution is amended not for the sake of the country or people, but just to accommodate one person!
This is why it is dangerous to allow the Barisan Nasional Government, to keep its two-thirds majority, because with its arrogance of power, it can threaten the system of parliamentary democracy itself”.
If 10,000 Malaysians had registered themselves as voters in eight parliamentary constituencies before the 1990 general elections, and exercised their right to vote against the Barisan Nasional, the Barisan Nasional would have lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority and this would have compelled the Barisan Nasional government to be; more democratic and responsive to the wishes and aspirations of the people.
An analysis of the 1990 general elections results show that the Barisan Nasional kept its two-thirds majority by a razor-edge margin of 8,685 votes in eight Parliamentary constituencies in Peninsular Malaysia.
In other words, if 4,343 voters in these eight Parliamentary constituencies in Peninsular Malaysia had not been influenced by the last-minute Barisan Nasional campaign of lies and falsehoods, the Barisan Nasional government would have lost, its two-thirds majority, Alternatively, if 10,000 youngsters in these eight constituencies who were eligible to vote but could not as they had not registered themselves as voters had voted against the Barisan Nasional, its two-thirds parliamentary majority would have been removed.
These eight Parliamentary constituencies were:
Seremban 77 voters
Jelebu 395 votes
Bruas 763 votes
Parit Buntar 846 votes
Sungei Siput 863 votes
Besut 994 votes
Nibong Tebal 1636 votes
Teluk Intan 2111 votes
Of course, if the Barisan Nasional had been defeated in these eight parliamentary constituencies, it would mean that, the Gerakan President, Datuk Dr. Lim Keng Yaik and the MIC President, Datuk Dr. S. Samy Vellu would have been defeated as well.
This should be a lesson to all Malaysians of the importance of every eligible voter registering themselves as voters so that they could cast their vote during the general elections.
The current 42-day voters’ registration exercise which ends on August 25 is likely to be the last exercise before the next general elections expected after April 1994.
This is the last chance for Malaysians who have reached the age of 21 and who have not registered as voters to get registered as a voter so that they could vote in the next general elections and shape the destiny of our nation.