Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at a DAP Parliamentary dinner as a send-off for DAP Deputy Secretary-General and MP for Kuala Lumpur Bandar, Sdr. Lee Lam Thye, on the eve of his China trip on the Prime Minister’s mission held in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 1985 at 7 p.m
DAP calls on Government to fully normalize relations with China and to remove the government’s suspicion of the loyalty of Malaysian Chinese as a factor influencing government’s China Policy
Tomorrow, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, will be leading a 250-strong delegation to China, the third Malaysian Prime Minister to visit China after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China 11 years ago.
We read in the press that Peking had many foreign state guests these few days, with visiting delegations from Singapore, Pakistan and other countries, but undoubtedly Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir would outshine all of them with the size of his mission.
On the eve of Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir’s visit to China, it is apt to consider various aspects of Malaysia’s China Policy and Malaysia-China relationship.
Undoubtedly, the Barisan Nasional government’s China Policy to date had been influenced by two factors: firstly, distrust of China’s intention regarding if as a greater to Malaysia’s security than Soviet Union; and secondly, suspicion about the loyalty of the Malaysian Chinese.
It is basically because of the second reason that the Malaysian Government has refused to allow free travel to China by Malaysians, believing that they would be easily indoctrinated to serve the Chinese communist cause and return to Malaysia as ‘fifth-columinists’ to subvert the Malaysian system of government.
This is a great libel on the loyalty of Malaysian Chinese, the overwhelming number of whom are fully indigenous in every sense of the word – who are born, bred, work and will die in Malaysia.
The DAP calls on the government to remove its suspicion about the loyalty of the Malaysian Chinese as a factor influencing its China Policy, for it would not only poison Malaysia-China relations, it will poison the entire Malaysia nation-building process itself.
If the Government gives the Malaysian Chinese the impression and belief that its loyalty is highly suspect, to the extent that they could not be trusted to travel freely to China, the government attitude would evoke a reciprocal lack of confidence as well!
For the full normalization of Malaysia-China relations, and even more important, to put the Malaysian notion-building process on its right footing, the Government should demonstrate trust and confidence in the loyalty of the Malaysian Chinese to Malaysia, which is their only motherland – and not China.
The other factor of the government’s distrust about China’s intentions and ambitions should not be inflated to mar the full normalization of relations between Malaysia and China.
As a Malaysian nationalist party, the DAP fully support the Government’s stand that there should be no interference in the national sovereignty and integrity of Malaysia by any nation, including the People’s Republic of China.
The DAP supports the Government’s demand that the People’s Republic of China should renounce its support for the Communist Party of Malaya. But as this matter had not prevented the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, it should not stand in the way of full normalization of relationships as well.
Soviet Union had a network of KGB spies in Malaysia, and even the Political Secretary of the Deputy Prime Minister had been suborned to become a KGB agent. But these anti-Malaysia activities by the Soviet Union had not led to a rupture of relations between Malaysia and the Soviet Union, and Malaysians are still allowed to travel to Soviet Union without restraint.
The China Policy of the Malaysian government seems to be more influenced by the distrust of the loyalty of the Malaysian Chinese than the distrust of China’s intentions, and this is unhealthy and undesirable which should be rectified.
Sdr. Lee Lam Thye to present a report on China trip to Central Executive Committee
Sdr. Lee Lam Thye will be joining the Prime Minister’s mission to China, The DAP has approved the visit because the present ban on free travel for Malaysians to visit china have prevented DAP leaders from studying at first-hand the latest socio-economic and political changes and development in China.
It is most ridiculous that Members of Parliament who are the highest legislators of the country are banned from entering and visiting China, while businessmen are given special preference.
This again shows how lowly the Barisan government treat Parliament and MPs, including their own MPs.
I have asked Sdr. Lee Lam Thye to present a report on the China visit to the DAP Central Executive Committee on Dec. 7, Which will form the basis for the DAP’s views and policy of Malaysia-China relations.