Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, at the Sixth Penang ‘Tanjong 3′ Marathon Thousand’ PeopleDinner held at Bagan on Thursday, October 20, 1994 at 8 pm
MCA and Gerakan should not be the ‘convicts of history’ in opposing ‘Full Liberalisation’ of nation-building palicies to achieve a Malaysian Malaysia and give meaning to Anwar’s favourite saying, ‘We Are All One Family’
The Bagan ‘Tanjong 3 Thousand–People Dinner tonight is the sixth and of the second series of the Ten- Night Penang ‘Tanjong 3’ Marathon Thousand-People Dinners, which have been organised with three objectives:
TO PROTEST against the double standards and high-handed and and undemocratic actions of the Gera¬kan leadership, in particular Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and Tan Gim Hwa, in refusing to allow the DAP to hold a ‘Tanjong 3’ Ten-Thousand People Dinner on Penang Muncipal. grounds although Gerakan dinners were allowed;
TO ANNOUNCE the DAP’s Nation-Building Policies of ‘Full Liberalisation’ and ‘Ten Democratisations’ as the new phase of the DAP struggle for a Malaysian Malaysia; and
TO REAFFIRM the DAP’s commitment to capture the Penang State Government to position Penang as the engine-head’ in the national struggle for ‘Full Liberalisation’ and as the model state for Malaysia.
The first series of five Penang ‘Tanjong 3’ Marathon Thousand-People Dinners field at the Penang Chinese Town Hall from October 3 to 7 had been such a great success that Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and Tan Gim Hwa must have regretted that in refusing to allow the DAP to hold a ‘Tanjong 3’ Ten-Thousand People Dinner the DAP is now making a greater impact with Ten-night ‘Tanjong 3’ Marathon Thousand-People Dinners in Penang State.
The five Declarations of DAP Nation-Building Policies release during the first series of ‘Tanjong 3’ Marathon Thousand-People Dinners, and in particular, the initial Policy Declaration at the inaugural ‘Tanjong l3’ Marathon Thousand-People Din¬ner on ‘Full LiberaIisation’ and the ‘Ten Democratisations’ have so upset Gerakan and MCA that their leaders have immediately come out to declare their open opposition.
DAP challenges Gerakan and MCA leaders to public debate as to how ‘Full Liberalisation’ could load to national turmoil and disintegration or repre¬sent the greatest. threat to the Chinese community and national development
Gerakan leaders, like its President, Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, its Deputy President, Kerk Chao Ting and its National Publicity Chief, Dr. Kang Chin Seng have warned that ‘Full Liner– alisation’ could lead to national turmoil, social unrest and even disintegration of Malaysia as happened to the USSR.
MCA leaders, like its President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Secretary-General, Datuk Dr. Ting Chew Peh, alleged that the DAP is “the number one enemy of the Chinese community” and the “stumbling block ‘to national development”.
These irrational and baseless reactions of Gerakan and MCA leaders reflect their panic and hysteria when faced with ‘the DAP’s call for ‘Full Liberalisation’ in all aspects of nation-building policies to give every Malaysian an equal place under the Malaysian sun – for they know that the DAP’s call for ‘Full Liberalisation’ strikes a chord in the hearts of all Malaysians;
DAP challenges the Gerakan and MCA leadership to a series of public debates as to how DAP’s call for ‘Full Liberali¬sation’ could lead to public disorder, turmoil, social unrest and even national disintegration like USSR or represents the greatest threat to the Chinese community and national development.
Nobody would be surprised if such reactions had come from MCA national. leaders as they have never been so ‘marginalised’ in the history of Barisan Nasional with MCA leaders openly admitting that they are ‘In the Family But Not in Power’ that the Chinese community in particular and the nation as a whole have ceased to expect anything intelligent, creative or courageous to come from the MCA leadership.
What many must find shocking is that former Chinese educationists, who claim to represent the elite of Chinese intel- ligentsia in Malaysia, should be the chief opponents and scare-mongers that DAP’s call for ‘Full Liberalisation’ could end up in public disorder, turmoil and even national disintegration of Malaysia as happened to the previous USSR.
These former Chinese educationists, particularly Kerk Choo Ting, Kang Chin Seng and Koh Tsu Koon, had pledged in 1982 to ‘Attack into the Barisan Nasional to rectify the Barisan Nasional’, and there is no better proof that they had been com¬pletely ‘rectified’ by the Barisan Nasional when they now perform their new role as the strongest opponents to the DAP’s call to: ‘Full Liberalisation’.
Call on the former Chinese educationists in Gerakan to ‘rectify’ UMNO leaders who have mistaken notions about ‘Full. Liberalisation’ and ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ and not to provoke them to take extrem¬ist and chauvinist positions
Previously, it was the role of UMNO extremists to oppose and warn that the DAP’s policy of Malaysian Malaysia would lead to the disintegration of Malaysia.
But now, DAP’s Malaysian Malaysia has been used as a basis for the Vision 2020 proclaimed by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, especially when lie said that the nation “faced the challenge of establishing a mature, liberal and tolerant society in which Malaysians of all colours and creeds are free to practise and profess their customs, cultures and religious beliefs and yet feeling that they belong ‘to one nation”.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also picked a leaf from DAP’s Malaysian Malaysia objective when he goes around to tell Chinese audiences that ‘We Are All One Family’.
Strangely enough, it is now the former Chinese educationists – the self–proclaimed ‘elite of Chinese intelligentsia’ – who are now performing the role of the former UMNO ultras breathing ‘fire and brimstone’ warning that DAP’s call for Malaysian Malaysia and ‘Full Liberalisation’ will lead to disaster and disintegration in Malaysia.
What these former Chinese educationists hope achieve is to provoke a response from UMNO in the hope that would be new UMNO ultras who would take up their line, and give a communal and chauvinist reaction the DAP’s call for ‘Full Liberalisation’ and Malaysian Malaysia.
This is a sad end and betrayal of mission of the Chinese educationists who in 1982 ‘Attacked into the Barisan Nasional to rectify Barisan Nasional’. The former Chinese educa tionists should be extremist UMNO leaders who have distorted and mistaken notions about the Malaysian Malaysia concept and to influence them to accept it instead of trying to provoke the emergence of new UMNO extremists ‘to oppose the DAP’s call for ‘Full Liberalisation’ and Malaysian Malaysia.
I urge these former Chinese educationists in Gerakan not to play such a dishonorable role in Malaysian politics and nation-building, particularly at a time when Malaysians want to see ‘Minor Liberalisation’ translated into ‘Full Liberalisation’ and a big ‘step taken towards the achievement of a Malaysian Malaysia.
I advise Gerakan and MCA not to be ‘convicts of history’ by opposing ‘Full Liberalisation’ and ‘Ten Democratisations, to achieve a Malaysian Malaysia and to give meaning to Anwar Ibrahim’s favourite saying, ‘We Are All One Family’.
Challenge to Gerakan and MCA to explain how lifting of public rallies, lifting of annual press licensing laws etc. can lead to disintegration of Malaysia
DAP is prepared to have a series of public debates with both Gerakan and MCA because we can produce proof that they have nothing to do with the ‘Minor Liberalisation’ of the past three years.
It is most unfortunate that those who had not contributed to the ‘Minor Liberalisation’ are now trying to sabotage the campaign for ‘Full Liberalisation’ by scare-mongering that it would lead to unrest, chaos and disintegration as happened to the former Soviet Union.
Can Gerakan and MCA leaders explain how, for instance, the implementation of the following five measures which would come under the DAP’s ‘Full Liberalisation’ Policy could tear Malaysian asunder as they are warning:
The lifting of the ban on public rallies;
The repeal of the annual licensing laws for newspapers;
The repeal of the ‘ultimate objective’ of the National Education Policy;
A Making Anti-Corruption Agency fully independent answerable only to Parliament and with powers to confiscate unusual and extraordinary wealth of Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief ministers and Mentris Besar; and
A Conducting a fair, free and clean general elections where opposition parties are allowed fair and equal access to the mass media, whether news¬papers, radio or television channels.
Let Keng Yaik, Choo Ting, Chin Seng, Tsu Koon, Liong Sik and Chew Peh explain how the above five ‘liberalisation’ measures could lead to turmoil and disintegration of Malaysia or how they could become the biggest threat to the Chinese community and national development.
DAP ‘to launch a nation-wide ‘Full Liberalisation’ Campaign from Malacca on November 5 to spread the message that the next general elections is not about ‘Minor Liberalisation’ but about ‘Full Liberalisation’
Following the announcement of the DAP’s Call for ‘Full Liberalisation’ and ‘Ten Democratisations’, DAP will launch a na- tion-wide ‘Full Liberalisation’ Campaign from Malacca on November 5 to spread the message to the people throughout the country that the next general elections is not about ‘Minor Liberalisation’ but about ‘Full Liberalisation’.
We had intended to release in conjunction with the second series of five ‘Tanjong 3’ Marathon Thousand-People Dinners in Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam and Nibong Tebal from today till Monday the DAP’s next five Declaration of Nation-Building Policies, on land, housing, labour, environment and the second part of Penang as Model State.
In view of the DAP decision to launch a nation-wide ‘Full Liberalisation’ campaign from state to state, the next five declarations of nation-building policies will be released during the nation-wide campaign – with the first one on Land Policies to be released in Malacca on November 5.