Speech (Part 3) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Bagan by-election ceramah at Sungai Puyu on Sunday, September 3, 1995 at 10 p.m.
Call on voters of Bagan to go down in history as the Democracy Fort which took the first historic step after the 1995 general election to save the DAP and democracy in Malaysia
The voters of Bagan have an opportunity to play a historic role in Malaysian politics and nation-building in the Bagan by-election on Sept. 9 and become known as the Democracy Fort which took the first historic step after the 1995 general election to save the DAP and democracy in Malaysia.
The MCA President, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik has publicly said that he is “confident” of MCA victory in the Bagan by-election. I do not have Liong Sik’s type of confidence that the DAP is sure to win Bagan.
I do not rule out the possibility that DAP can lose in the Bagan by-election. But if this should happen, it will be another great blow to the DAP and to Malaysian democracy.
The voters of Bagan must realise that the importance of this be-election transcends personalities and even candidates, and goes to the root question as to whether the DAP and Malaysian democracy could recover after the 1995 general election results.
The voters of Bagan must not miss their opportunity to create history in Malaysian politics and nation-building on Sept. 9 by being known by posterity as the place where the restoration of Malaysian democracy and the revival of DAP after the 1995 general election took its first step.
To do this, the voters of Bagan must not only ensure that the DAP wins again in the Bagan parliamentary constituency, but win with a most impressive majority – definitely not with 181 votes margin!