by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Monday, 30.6.1986:
DAP accuses Tan Koon Swan and MCA leaders conspiring with UMNO leaders to use the spectre of May 13 as the politics of fear and intimidation against voters in coming general elections
From MCA’s political seminar on ‘Securing A Better Future Towards and Beyond 1990’, it is clear that there is a conspiracy by Tan Koon Swan and MCA leaders with the UMNO leaders to use the spectre of May 13 to try to cow and intimidate voters in the coming general elections from voting for the Opposition, and in particular to deny the Barisan Nasional a two-third parliamentary majority.
Directly or indirectly, tacitly or explicitly, MCA and UMN0 leaders are dropping hints about a possible ‘May 13’, about chaos, anarchy and trouble if the Barisan Nasional loses two-third parliamentary majority.
The most despicable tactic was used by Tan Koon Swan at the MCA seminar yesterday where he openly said ‘he was not referring to the May 13 incident’ when the deliberate effect of such reminder was to raise the spectre of May 13 to frighten and cow the voters to vote again for MCA.
Tan Koon Swan and the MCA leaders must have become bankrupt of ideas and getting very desperate politically, that they are now deliberately embarking on the tactics of May 13-baiting.
I call on all Malaysians to condemn Tan Koon Swan and the MCA leaders, as well as UMNO leaders who are using the same tactics, for they are the most irresponsible breed of political leaders Malaysians can ever find. We should call them the ‘May 13 politicians’ – whose only message to the voters in the coming general elections is that the voter should vote for them, or they would be May 13.
Can Tan Koon Swan and the other MCA leaders spell out clearly why if Tan Kok Koon Swan or Ling Liong Sik or Lee Kim Sai is defeated in the next general elections, there would be May 13? Who is going to cause another May 13?
I know that Tan Koon Swan is getting very desperate with his Pan El and Multi-Purpose Holdings troubles, but these problems cannot justify or excuse Tan Koon Swan resorting to such irresponsible politiking.
Responsible political leaders and parties should go out of their way to assure the voters that there would be no May 13 whatever decision they make in the coming general elections, for it is their democratic right to choose the party, candidate and programme of their choice.
I warn Tan Koon Swan and the MCA leaders to stop this politics of fear, blackmail and terror, or the DAP will launch a nation-wide public campaign to expose the irresponsibility, hypocrisy and spinelessness of the MCA leaders.
The frequent resort to the May 13 or 1969 theme reflects the MCA leadership’s total lack of confidence to win popular support on the MCA’s record and platform.
In the past few weeks, MCA leaders had been working overtime making very fierece speeches, ‘like the ones in yesterday’s MCA Seminar.