Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, when speaking to Klang DAP officials and members at Klang DAP Branch in Klang on Sunday, 5th April 1981 at 8 p.m.
Chan Teck Chan has formed a new ‘Gang of Four’ teaming up with extremist UMNO MPs in Parliament to attack the DAP
If there is anyone who must bear the greatest responsibility for causing the turmoil in the DAP in the last five months, it is none other than Chan Teck Chan.
Ever since Chan Teck Chan had compromised his political position with UMNO early last year, he had systematically carried out a campaign to create the maximum cleavage in the Party, especially in going to Penang to incite Chin Nyuk Soo, Seow Hung Khim and Goh Lim Eam to challenge and confront the DAP leadership.
The Penang trio were made to believe that in the event of a show-down with the Party Central Executive Committee, the DAP would split down the middles as they would have the support of Penang, Perlis, Kedah, Johore, Malacca and Sarawak, and that they were therefore in an impregnable position to ‘take the CEC on’.
Although he was the head of the ‘Gang of Four’ to disrupt and destroy the DAP, Chan Teck Chan up to the last minute play-acted as if he was the most loyal DAP leader, in fact, claiming to be the sole, Savior of the DAP which he had spent so much time and energy to destroy.
Many different forces were involved in the last five months’ public campaign of malice and venom against DAP in an attempt to break the political will spirit and stamina leaders in the political crusade to achieve a more just and equal, genuinely multi-racial Malaysian Malaysia.
There was of course the Gerakan, the MCA and the UMNO – together with their satellite forces – like Tee Ann Chuan of the GBB who made use of Kin Kwok Daily News to sustain the anti-DAP campaign since January after the GBB take-over of the Kin Kwok
This is why the people were treated to the spectacle of a battle by the Barisan component parties, the Gerakan and MCA, for the DAP renegades – degrading Malaysian politics by turning MPs, State Assemblymen and political figures into no better than cattle which could be auctioned to the highest bidder.
Chan Teck Chan regards himself of higher caliber and quality as one who could deliver to UMNO what even the Gerakan and the MCA could not do – to destroy the DAP in the way that Mohd Nasir and his BERJASA caused the downfall of PAS in the 1978 general elections and in toppling PAS from 18-years of Kelantan rule.
The ‘Gang of Four’ is now no more, as the Penang trio has joined the MCA for the ‘sake of Chinese unity’ after the MCA President, Lee San Choon, has expelled 61 from the Party. The Penang trio claimed that the DAP CEC was dictatorial in expelling 61, I will not waste any more time on the Penang trio, who have reserved for themselves a special place in Malaysian political history for traitors and renegades.
But although the ‘Gang of Four’ in the DAP is no more, Chan Teck Chan has formed a new ‘Gang of Four’ in Parliament by teaming up with the three most extremist UMNO MPs and the Dewan Rakyat to concentrate attack on the DAP.
For the last two year, three UMNO MPs had distinguished themselves for their venom, malice and rank chauvinism in their attacks on the DAP. They were led by the MP for Pasir Puteh, Wan Mohd. Najib, who made the indecent sign in Parliament last Thursday in a row with Sdr. Karpal Singh in Parliament. It was also Wan Mohd. Najib who said in Parliament in March 1979 that DAP leaders should leave Malaysia if they wanted to continue to espouse DAP ideals and principles.
The other two UMNO MPs are the MP for Tanah Merah, Hussein bin Mahmood, and the MP for Ulu Trengganu, Alias Ali – all of whom were prepared to distort the DAP’s policies to launch a most racialist attack on the DAP.
Ever since Chan Teck Chan’s expulsion from the DAP for this traitorous activities Chan Teck Chan has become the thickest of pals of the UMNO trio, feeding them with information about the DAP and also advising them how to attack the DAP leaders and the DAP.
Chan Teck Chan has failed to destroy the DAP when he consorted with the Penang trio to subvert the DAP from inside the Party. He is too vainglorious if he thinks he can now destroy the DAP – and do a Mohd. Nasir – by colluding with the UMNO, in particular the UMNO extremists, from outside.