Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, at the Raub DAP Solidarity Dinner held at Raub Town Hall on Sunday, 22nd March 1981 at 9pm
The expulsion of the Gang of Four has exposed a Grand Conspiracy involving many forces which sought to destroy the single largest opposition party in the country
The expulsion of the Gang of Four has exposed and foiled a Grand Conspiracy involving many forces which sought to destroy the single largest opposition party in the country.
The DAP had, through the dedication, sacrifice and commitment of party leaders, member and supporters built itself into the largest opposition political force in the country, and in the 1980s, we look forward to the greater mobilization of Malaysians behind us to more effectively spread the message of a democratic socialist, Malaysian Malaysia.
This is particularly important because in the 1980s, extremist and communalist forces which seek to deny to all Malaysian citizens a fair and equal place, are seeking to rear their ugly heads. They know that the DAP constitute the biggest challenge to them. If they could crush the DAP, then t will be easier for them to have their way.
For instance, in the UMNO Youth Conference last year, UMNO Youth Leader, Haji Suhaimi, called for the implementation of Clause 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act, which is to convert Chinese and Tamil primary schools into national primary schools.
DAP was the only political party which spearheaded a campaign of condembation and protest against Haji Suhaimi’s proposal. In fact, our
Deputy Secretary-General, Lee Lam Thye, lodged a police report against Haji Suhaimi as what he said was a clear violation of the Sedition Act in questioning the entrenched and unchallengable rights of Malaysian to mother-tongue teaching, learning and use, as provided in Article 152 of the Malaysian Constitution.
Although Haji Suhaimi has not been prosecuted, which showed the double-standards in the enforcement of laws in the country – set one of laws for the Barisan and another set of the opposition – the outcry against Haji Suhaimi;s proposal has stalled the proposal, at least for the moment.
If there had been no outcry against Haji Suhaimi at that time, his call for the closure of Chinese and Tamil primary schools would have been picked up by other extremist directly building up nation-wide pressure for the implementation of Clause 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act.
This does not mean, of course, that Chinese primary schools are now forever safe. It is not so, so long as the Barisan Nasional’s education policy us to have only one media of instruction in the education system eventually. Chinese primary schools may also be converted in character through administrative steps.
Because the DAP represent a established political force in defence of the constitutional, political, economic, educational and cultural rights Malaysians, any disruption, weakening or wrecking of the DAP would also mean the disruption, weakening or wrecking of the political power of the people who supported the DAP and the cause the DAP stands for.
I am confident that with the expulsion of the Gang of Four and the expose of the Grand Conspiracy to destroy the DAP, the DAP will be able to recover and regain its political momentum in a short period, and get on with our task of taking our political struggle to a new and even more successful era.