Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at the Perak DAP State Committee meeting held in Sitiawan on Thursday, July 4, 1985 at 9pm.
DAP to move a motion in Parliament on New Economic Policy injustices and inequalities.
Last year, the people of Malacca set the pace in the Save Bukit China campaign to raise the political consciousness of the people about the need for them in a parliamentary democracy to stand up for their rights if they are not to be eroded away.
The people of Perak were not quiet or idle either, especially in the successful
Papan anti-radioactive waste dump issue, as well as in the Kampong Bercham
squatter struggle.
This year the people of Perak have another great responsibility, to lead off the
nation-wide campaign against the New Economic Policy injustices and
inequalities which had became the primary instruments of national disunity in
Malaysia.
For 15 years, the NEP had failed in its cardinal pledge not to cause loss or deprivation,
resultirg in more division than unity in Malaysia. The examples of such NEP injustices
and inequalities will occupy a long list, whether it is in the Boon Brothers petrol business
affair in Sitiawan, or in the Mandarin orenge scandal just before Chinese New Year this year,
or in the award of permits, licenses, scholarships, the allocation of public low-cost housing,
alienation of Felda schemes or in recruitment or promotion of civil servants.
The DAP Perak State Committee has a great responsibility to make the first phase of the
Mass Signature Protest Campaign against NEP injustices and inequalities a success,
before it is extended to other parts of Malaysia.
The qualities of DAP leaders and cadres will be tested by their performance in this campaign.
We are aware that there are people, especially outside the party, who would like to foment
troubles in the DAP so that the MCA and Gerakan, with their protracted intra-party
struggle completely unrelated to the problems and sufferings of people, would not look so bad.
The DAP is not going to oblige for we will always place the interest of the people
and country above party or self-interest. The DAP has no time for opportunists,
whether inside or outside the party, who think they could hold the Party to ransom
with their threats or blackmail demands. If the DAP and its leaders could or blackmail,
the DAP would have disintegrated long ago.
With the approaching general elections, DAP leaders both at national
and state levels must be more vigilant against the schemes of Barisan
Nasional agents who would seek to disrupt party unity or damage the
public image, standing and credibility of DAP and its leaders – as was done just
before the 1982 general elections.
The Malaysian public would still remember that before the 1982 General elections,
during the DAP troubles fomented by Chan Teck Chan, Seow Hung Khim,
Chin Nyuk Soo and others, they were pictured in the mass media as DAP die-hards and
loyalists who were being victimised because they were Chinese-educated. But time has
shown up their true colours, that they are men of no principle who were out to
destroy the DAP to serve the larger design of the Barisan Nasional where they ended up
eventually.
DAP leaders and cadres must never forget that they are in the DAP
because they believe in our political cause and their commitment to serve
and represent the people. For this reason, the DAP demands absolute sincerity,
honesty, frankness and truthfulness from our leaders and members.
DAP leaders and cadres who are not prepared to be truthful, honest,
sincere or frank with the party cannot be expected to be truthful, honest,
sincere or frank with the people when one day they become Assemblyman or
Member of Parliament.
We in the DAP therefore do not apologise for demanding sincerity,
honesty, frankness and truthfulness from our leaders and cadres, and to make
it clear that we have no place or time for those who are not prepared to
be truthful, honest, frank or sincere with the Party.
The DAP Perak leaders, cadres, branches and members must not be
deflected from their immediate challenge and task, which is to make a success
of the Mass Signature Protest Campaign against NEP injustices and inequalities.
In the coming meeting of Parliament beginning on July 15, I have
tabled a motion on the NEP injustices and inequalities, which reads:
“That this House resolves that in preparation for the Fifth
Malaysia Plan l986-l990, the House establishes a Parliamentary
Select Committee to inquire into the New Economic Policy injustices
and inequalities which had defeated its two-prong objective of
eradicating poverty irrespective of race and the restructuring
of Malaysian society to eliminate the identification of race with
vocation or location as well as its overriding objective of
achieving national unity”.
I call on MCA and Gerakan Ministers and MPs to have the courage
and principle to support this motion instead of squandering their
positions in Cabinet, Parliament and the various State Assemblies in
internal power struggle