Speech by DAP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Pre-Election Rally at 11 m. s. Cheras Road, Kajang, on Monday, 22nd July 1974 at 8 p.m.
DAP calls on people of Selangor to vote for a strong and effective Opposition in the coming general elections
It is now quite certain that general elections will be held within 30 days in August next month.
There is a grave need for a strong and powerful Opposition party in Malaysia, to put the National Front parties on their toes, to make sure that respond and realise the hopes and aspirations of the people.
The DAP will be fielding a strong slate of candidates in both the Parliamentary and State seats in Selangor, which, with the removal of Kuala Lumpur from Selangor to constitute the Federal Territory, has now 11 Parliamentary seats and 33 State seats.
I call on the people in Kajang and Selangor to vote for DAP candidates to ensure that there is a strong, effective and courageous Opposition party in the Selangor State Assembly.
A few days ago, Dr. Lim Keng Yaik said in Petaling Jaya that there was no need for a strong opposition in Malaysia. This is because the Parti Gerakan, MCA and PPP and other National Front parties realise that the people see through the hollowness of the National Front, which is no more than an expanded Alliance, with a change of name and party symbol without change of policies.
The people will continue to reject the National Front parties so long as they do not change their political, economic, cultural and educational policies.
The National Front is most worried about the DAP, for they know that the DAP is the only effective challenge to the National Front. This is why they are using all sorts of methods to try to discredit and destroy the DAP.
Thus, last month, there was a big press report that some 240 DAP members and supporters had left the DAP in Serdang Bahru to join the MCA. In actual fact, not more than 10 members were involved, six of which had earlier been expelled from the party for breach of party discipline and opportunism. As the who are the other breach so-called 230 persons, only the MCA propagandists themselves know.
Anybody can claim to be a supporter of DAP. With some monetary offers, you can get thousands of persons who can claim themselves as supporters of DAP for the purpose of joining MCA.
But the impression that the people gets is that 240 members had left the DAP. This, of course, was what the MCA intended to make the people believe. This shows the desperation of the National Front in confronting the DAP in the coming elections, so much so that they had to resort to tricks to deceive the public.
The DAP will stand on our five years’ of record in the Selangor State Assembly and Parliament, of conscientiously speaking up for people and representing the people’s interest. We will let the people judge our record in the coming elections.